To Be Born Anew
by Delphi913
Summary: On his endless journey through time, Ao has a sudden revelation. What if he could start the entire sequence from the beginning and correct his mistakes? What if he could make a better future for both his own world and that of his parents? Reboot Fic. This will not progress how you expect it to, based on the first chapter.
1. Opportunities

**Disclaimer: This franchise and its characters belong to BONES studios**

The planet below him looked very similar to the Earth that he had come from, as it had past several universes he had travelled through. It really didn't matter to Ao, though, as he, and the Nirvash he was sitting in, were being held in a low orbit by forces existing outside of normal time and space. He would only ever observe the Alternate Earths that he would come across, but he would never interact with them, such was his punishment.

He had erased the Quartz from existence and, with it, the ability of the Scub Coral to cross into alternate universes. He had corrected the history of the world he belonged to and had stopped the Secrets from crossing over into his parent's dimension, but at what cost? His parent's home planet would be forever doomed to exceed the Limit of Questions and he and his sister would never be born. His parents… his mother would be forever unhappy.

The only reason he even still existed was because of his mastery over trans-dimensional and temporal travel he had gained over the last couple of years.

Ao sighed at the futility of his situation. "Hey, Truth, are you still there?"

"Of course I am, where else would I be?" his IFO's archetype replied.

He cringed at that. It was still strange to him, having his once mortal enemy turned into a friendly OS for the Nirvash. The being that had once caused so much pain for him and those around him was now his eternal ally on his journey through time.

"You know, thinking back on my entire journey, I could have done a lot better than I did," he said with a sad tone in his voice.

"Yes, you could have."

"Hey! You aren't supposed to agree with me!"

"Sorry, but it's only natural that you didn't make a perfect decision. With that Quartz Cannon of yours, you had virtually unlimited options as to what outcome you could create."

_Unlimited Outcomes… _He had been pondering all of the choices he had made and could have made, from the first day he was stranded here, trying to find the best decision.

"If you're that dissatisfied with the conclusion, then why don't you change it? Start over from the beginning?"

Ao's head shot up from its resting position on his folded arms. "What?"

"You have the power to manipulate time and space thanks to our little trip through the dimensions. Why not use it to correct your mistakes?"

He continued to stare incredulously. "Could we… return everything to the way it was?"

"It's certainly possible. I still have enough energy to place you back when it all started. I can put you right around the day you crashed into Gazelle or sometime earlier if you prefer."

"We'd still need a plan though." He said as he brushed his blue locks out of his eyes.

"It's up to you, what path you take, but know that I can't do this twice as we'll both revert to our original forms and I won't have my memories."

"Yeah… I'm sorry it has to be this way Truth…"

"Don't worry about it, my friend. It's more important that you and your family are happy."

At that point, he began to plot his return and all of the details that he would change along the way. After several hours of pure thought and calculations, he was ready.

"Truth, I'm sorry to say that I'll be fighting the Secrets and protecting the Scub Coral to the end this time."

"I assume you have a good basis for making your decision?"

"Well, the Coral had more positive effects on the people than negative. Even though the Scub were invaders of our world, it was the Secret's actions against them, the Scub Bursts, that did the true damage."

"What about the disease that infected the Coral Carriers?"

"I've thought about that too. Technically, that disease was never proven entirely lethal. Plus, the Scub Coral was able to cure Naru's disease and even bring a man back from the dead with Coralian-like abilities. It'll be a gradual process, but humanity can recover and evolve past those issues just like those from my parent's world."

"…and the Limit of Questions?"

"The Secrets initial actions drastically reduced the world's population. It will be thousands of years before we reach our own Limit of Questions and we'll be relieving the burden off my parent's world."

"All right, you've made your point quite clearly," Truth replied with a mechanical noise that resembled a sigh, "but what about the Archetype? You'll need one if you want to win this fight."

"Well that's simple," he said with a smile, "I'll use the type Zero Archetype that was within Iwato Island's Scub Coral."

"And how exactly are you planning on doing that?"

"Hey, Naru isn't the only one who can interface with Scub Coral, you know." Ao said, clearly annoyed.

"I should have guessed you'd have a plan for that too. That's all we really needed to go over, so I guess I'll plot your course back to your original time. Remember, if all goes well, you'll be in the same body as you were in that time, so don't act too suspicious okay?"

"If all goes well?"

"There's no assurance that our plan will be completely successful. Be prepared to alternate in case of failure. If we do succeed, then you'll know much more than you are supposed to. People will wonder how you know that much, especially if there was no way you could have learned the information in question, so lay low."

"Got it, and Truth…"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for everything, and… goodbye, my friend."

"Goodbye Ao."

Then, tightly gripping the controls of what remained of his faithful IFO, Ao initiated his final time jump back into own time and his own body. He had made his decision. He would take up the reigns of destiny and provide a better future for all.

**A/N:**

**I obviously didn't approve of AO's BS ending that basically destroyed the plot of the entire series. So I wrote this instead, and don't bother correcting me if I got the ending of the show wrong because that's what I'm going to use as a basis for the story. Please don't criticize me too hard on this one. It's my first time writing major character dialogue and I'm obviously not very good at it right now, but I'll get better with time. If anyone wants me to continue this, then post it in a review. If not, then I'll make it a oneshot and use it for future reference.**


	2. The Beginning of Change

**Disclaimer: This series and its characters belong to BONES animation studios**

"Speech"/_'Thoughts'_

Ao woke with a start. "What was that dream I had?"

It had been odd… He had been standing atop the Scub Coral on Iwato Island's plant, and, suddenly, several white tendrils had reached up to engulf him. After that he had felt at peace, as if he was floating on the ocean that he loved so much. It had been the strangest thing, but it left him with an undeniable feeling of curiosity. He had to investigate it.

He arose from his bed and donned his usual attire of a blue hoodie, black pants, and blue shoes. He, then, left his bedroom to find his adoptive grandfather, Toshio Fukai, kneeling at table in their little home. After a quick exchange of greetings and a meal between them, Ao told his grandfather of his intentions.

"Eh? The Plant Coral? Why would you want to go there?"

"Well…" he said, running a hand through his brown hair, "That coral is the basis for all Trapar around the island, right? I kind of wanted to see it…"

Toshio looked up at him for a moment before saying, "Alright, but be back before dark. You start middle school in a couple of days, so I want you to get some rest."

'_Middle school… Is it really okay for me to go there?'_

"Thanks Grandfather!" he said as he ran out.

**In Transit to Iwato Island Plant Coral**

On his way to the plant, he had run into his best friend, Arata Naru. She had insisted on coming along with him after he had told her where he was going, saying something about it being too dangerous to go alone. He had been telling her of his dream from the night before.

"Wow, that sounds a lot like one of my Yuta visions…" she said, tapping her finger against her cheek.

"I've never had such a strange dream or one that felt so real," He replied, gripping the controls of his FP (Flying Platform), "I have to know what it means."

**Iwato Island Plant Coral**

As he brought his FP to a halt, he noticed that the facility was completely bereft of people.

"Is it really okay for us to be here?" Naru nervously asked.

"I'm sure it's fine. It clearly says 'visitors always welcome' on the sign over there."

The two walked past the entry gate towards the facility itself. The massive metallic structure was basically a colossal cylindrical container to house the Scub Coral. It was very simple to climb up the stairs and reach the railing that overlooked the top of the organic mass.

"It was right there in the center-"his voice trailed off as the girl next to him collapsed to her knees and took out her Breather. "Are you all right? Is it another attack?"

"I'm fine," she said between sharp inhales, "but we shouldn't stay here too long. The trapar density isn't good for my lungs."

He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. "Don't worry. I'll do what I need to and we'll be out of here in no time."

Ao then proceeded to hop the railing and land directly on the top of the Coral, scattering green particles with his footsteps. The ground seemed to light up with each step he took toward the center. When he finally reached his destination, the ground was shining white. A quick glance at Naru brought her worried visage to his mind. Then, his dream suddenly came to life as several white tendrils rose from the Coral, wrapped around his limbs, and began pulling him in.

"AGH!" He screamed as he tried to break free.

"NO! AO!" Naru, despite her difficulty breathing, had quickly closed the distance between them and tightly gripped his hand. Her efforts were for naught, however, as she was also pulled in to the Coral body.

"NARU!"

Blackness.

**Unspecified Location**

Soft.

He was lying on… Grass?

Ao bolted up to find his immediate location was a multi-ridged Cliffside. He was surrounded by grass and in the distance; he could see some sort of colossal structure that seemingly touched the sky from its position within a large cityscape.

Turning his gaze back to the Cliffside, he saw a figure standing there. It was peering of into the endless horizon. He rose to his feet and approached the figure who, upon closer inspection, appeared to be a man not much older than he, wearing a button-up shirt and slacks. He also had… blue hair?

'_Just like mother. Who could he be?'_

'_I am a part of the Scub Coral's shared mind. Welcome Ao Fukai.' _A voice spoke within his mind.

The figure turned around to face him, showing off his features which were similar to his mother's.

'_What is going on here?!' _he thought.

'_You've interfaced with the Scub Coral and entered The Zone as you were expected to, but you have done so earlier than was needed.' _The figure thought back to him.

'_What do you mean by that? Who are you?'_

'_I have no need for a name in my current state, but you may refer to me as Aeterna. Your other question will be answered in time. Through the natural course of your life, you will come to obtain an item. Once you have it, return here and we will answer many of your questions… including those you have about yourself and your family.'_

His eyes widened. A chance to learn about his true nature and the fate of his family. It was suspicious, but if he was telling the truth, then it was a great opportunity. He had to be cautious, though. Whatever he was to get for this… Aeterna, he would have to be sure it would be used for the right reasons.

'_Have no fear. We have only good intentions.'_

He looked back up from his thoughts to see Aeterna smirking at him.

'_It's not polite to eavesdrop you know.' _He deadpanned to the man in front of him.

'_You should keep better control over your thoughts,' _he thought with a mental chuckle, _'but I trust this means that you will help us?'_

'_Yes, I'll help you. Now, what do you need me to bring you?'_

'_It is known to you as Nirvash. You will recognize it when you see it.'_

'_You're going to send me to find something without telling me what it is?'_

'_I'm not asking you to search for it, I'm asking you to live your life like you normally would and when it comes into your possession, bring it here.'_

'_Fine, fine, but how do I get out of here?'_

'_You are free to come and go whenever you like through the door behind you.'_

He turned around to look, and there was, indeed, a door standing a short distance behind him. It was a simple wooden door and frame attached to nothing. He suddenly remembered something and mentally slapped himself for not remembering it earlier.

'_What about Naru? Where is she?' _Ao thought aggressively.

'_She has already left, and in much better condition than she arrived. She is waiting for you back in the normal world. We have told her as we tell you now, speak of this to no one and act as you would as if this never happened. Understand?'_

'_Yeah…'_

'_Good, and Ao?'_

'_Yes?'_

'_Keep her close to you. From this point onward, your destinies are entwined in a way that you do not yet understand.'_

'_Okay… Thanks, I guess…'_

'_You are welcome. Don't forget your promise.'_

On that note, the man walked off the cliff face and disappeared in midair leaving Ao staring. Shaking his head he approached the door behind him and opened it revealing darkness beyond its frame. With a deep breath, he stepped through.

**Iwato Island Plant Coral (Inner Facility)**

He felt the sensation of being shaken awake and open his eyes to see Naru leaning over him. He blushed slightly at her face being so close to his.

"Ao, thank God you're all right." She said with relief in her voice and a small grin on her face.

"Of course I am, you dummy," he said, getting to his feet, "but we should get out of here soon, the workers will likely return at any moment."

"Yeah, we should. Talk on the way back?"

"Right." And with that, the two departed the scene. Ao was too lost in his thoughts to notice that Naru was a little more energetic than usual, or that they'd left her Breather back at the plant.

**Iwato Island Coral (The Zone)**

Aeterna sighed at his misfortune.

"It would have been so much easier if the implantation had gone as I had originally planned."

"It wasn't your fault." The woman behind him said softly, "There was no way that you could have anticipated that the amount of memories a body could hold would be proportional to its age."

He turned towards her, "I still should have seen it. He'll be going into the battlefield completely unprepared now."

"He'll be fine," she said with a smile, "he's already endured it once."

"I know," he replied with a sigh, "and I trust you'll lead him towards my goal in this timeline?'

"You've shown me the path to a better future. I will hold him to that path if I can."

"All we can do is hope that he will find what we seek and change the planet's fate with the power that we give him… that SHE gives him."

"I believe in him."

"As do I."

**A/N:**

**Whoa. I'm surprised at myself for writing all of that. Guess I can dish it out at the right topic. So, as you can guess, I'm setting up the rest of the story with this chapter. If you read the first chapter, then you should be able to guess at what I'm doing. Speaking of which, I give my humble thanks to my reviewers. It really is a great morale boost to see that others appreciate my work. I also ask that you leave suggestions if you think of a good idea for this fic as I have no real predefined plan for this story and I'm just free-writing this in my spare time. Also, if you spot grammatical or spelling errors, be sure to point them out. I don't mind criticism for my work as long as it isn't senseless bashing. Be sure to rate and review. If people like this, then more is definitely on the way. :D**


	3. The Battle Before the Battle

**Disclaimer: This series and its characters belong to BONES Animation Studios**

"Speech"/_'Thoughts'_

**Iwato Island Coast**

The ocean caressed the sides of his face and the rest of his body as Ao contemplated over what had happened the day before. After that incident at the Plant Coral, he had escorted Naru home before returning to his own. On the way they had both agreed that what they had witnessed had, in fact, happened and they both agreed not to speak to their families about it.

'_Naru…' _She had been his best friend since childhood and his only friend back in those days. Okinawans were very distrusting of foreigners and she had been the only one, at the time, who could see past his violet eyes and pale face. She had been the only one who held no prejudice towards him because of who his mother was… is.

'_I never should have taken her along. She's too important to me…' _He blushed at his own thoughts.

"Oh" he was suddenly reminded of the call she had given him that morning. He was supposed to take her to the forest to pick up Noah, her pet sloth. She had had another dream last night and wanted Noah to be near her in case her vision came true.

Thoughts still tumbling inside his head, he got up, dried himself, and put his outer layer of clothes back on. Soon he was in his FP, speeding towards Naru's home, taking in all of the sights to be found around the island.

'_I really do love this island, even if I am only tolerated here; I love this place and the ocean.' _He thought happily.

His happiness quickly diminished when he arrived at Naru's home to find the girl herself standing at the entrance, looking unamused.

"You're late again, you idiot." She said, irritated.

"Sorry," he replied, sheepishly, "I lose track of time when I'm lying in the ocean."

"Ao, you've got to keep better track of your time." She lectured, "You're going to be starting middle school tomorrow and you BETTER be there to pick me up in the morning."

"I will, I will. Just get in the FP and let's be off already."

Naru boarded with a "humph" and they were soon speeding towards the forest, but not before Naru had something else to surprise him with.

"Hey Ao, there's another reason I called for you today. I have to talk to you."

"What about?"

After a moment's hesitation she said, "I can breathe."

"What?"

"I can breathe just fine, and I mean without the Breather. I don't even have it anymore. It's back at the plant."

"You mean…"

"It's like the disease was never there."

Ao pondered this for a while. Naru had had a disease that had restricted her breathing ever since the Okinawan Scub Burst a few years ago. There were many times where she had collapsed and he had to take her to Toshio to receive treatment. Now, suddenly, the disease was gone?

"How long?"

"Since the incident from yesterday. I only noticed it after I was home and you had left."

"Does your family know?"

"They haven't noticed yet, but they will soon if it doesn't come back."

'_This definitely has something to do with the Scub Coral, but…' _he thought while shifting the vehicle side to side to avoid the islanders and the occasional FP, _'if the disease is gone, then this is a good thing. I'll have to ask Aeterna about it when I bring him the Nirvash.'_

"Well you don't have to deal your disease anymore. That's the important part right?" he said with a smile, "I'm happy for you Naru."

She looked at him with surprise and, with slightly flushed cheeks, said, "Ao… Thank you."

They soon arrived at Iwato Island's forest and retrieved Noah from there in case Naru's visions of an impending fire were true. It was on the way back, that disaster struck.

"AO! LOOK OUT!"

Swimming colors.

**Pacific Ocean Skyway (In Transit to Iwato Island)**

Three custom FPs zipped across the air above the ocean as they made their way toward the Union of Okinawa. In the lead car was man in charge of their team and the important cargo they had been asked to smuggle.

"100,000 Okinawan dollars for transporting a few ECUs… What an easy job! I wish all of our jobs were this simple," remarked, Gazelle, the leader of the group.

"Still, do you really think it's a good idea to trust the Japanese Armed Forces?" his partner, Han, inquired.

"…and letting them install an unknown device into your FP? They might be trying to pull a fast one on us," added his other partner, Pippo.

"Hey, lay off! You guys saw it too. It's the latest model beacon controller. It lets the JAF guide and track us, so it's no problem if they want it here."

"Maybe they're lying and there's a catch to it," Han replied.

"Hey, if you have a problem with it, then you can buzz off and I'll take the hundred-thousand myself!" he said while touching the triangular device with the strange green cube in its center.

He couldn't have anticipated that the device would open up, or that it would blow smoke in his face, obscuring his vision.

"Gazelle! What happened? Gazelle!" Han and Pippo were both yelling worriedly over the communicator.

"I'm all right," he grunted in reply, "there's no fire, but the generator's gone haywire. I'm going to try and land this thing."

"Okay. We're right behind you."

He steered the FP toward the beach, but, despite his best efforts, he couldn't stop himself from crashing into the other FP that he was headed toward.

**Iwato Island Coast (FP Crash Site)**

Ao shook himself out of his stupor and got up to survey the damage and check on his passenger. "Naru!" She was still breathing. It looked like she had hit the bars that separated the driver's cabin from the passenger's seat and had been knocked unconscious. _'She's all right…' _he thought with a sigh of relief.

"OUCH!"

He looked toward the FP that had crashed into him. Apparently a brief case had fallen out of it and its contents were splayed out all across the sand. The source of the call had been driver who had fallen out of it backwards. He was a tall man wearing a pink shirt over a black one and white shorts. He had messy black hair that waved in the wind as he ran straight towards the poor boy.

Gripping Ao's hoodie, Gazelle yelled right in his face, "What were you thinking jumping out in front of me like that!?"

"What are you talking about? It was your awful driving that almost killed me and Naru!"

"What was that?!"

"I said your driving sucks!"

"You-" They both stopped at the sound of a wracking cough. At the same time they looked over to see that Naru had come to. Released from Gazelle's grasp, Ao ran over to check on her.

"Naru are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Ao… my head hurts, but I think I'm okay," she replied in a daze.

He looked down and noticed something sticking slightly out of the sand. Picking it up he found it to be a strange-looking, green bracelet. _'Where have I seen this before?' _he thought before pocketing it.

"Hurry up!"

Ao looked over to see that Gazelle and his pal, Pippo, were gathering up the contents of the briefcase while his other friend, Han, was checking on the wrecked FP.

"Quick! Get everything back in that case! If the JAF are tracking us, then they'll think we're up to something!" Gazelle uttered nervously.

"The JAF?" Ao said incredulously as Naru walked up to his side, arms around Noah.

Gazelle and Pippo turned to look menacingly back at him.

"You're Fukai's kid right? Sorry for busting your FP. We'll pay for it later and for the girl's medical bills if she was injured, but we have somewhere to be right now," Gazelle said with some recovered resolve.

"Hey Han! How's the ECU looking?" he called over to the navy haired man.

"It's no good!" his friend replied, "I've never seen anything like this before!" The device was covered in some odd green material.

"Damn! At a time like this!"

"What do we do?" Pippo asked.

"We could try to carry it in one of the other FPs," Han suggested, "but it might be too heavy- What the?!"

The green material suddenly began to glow as rainbow-colored light moved across the ground in waves.

"The ECU! It's-" was all that Han could get out before a titanic column of rainbow colored light violently shot up into the sky from the remains of the FP.

"Naru! It's a-" Ao yelled.

"Scub Burst." She finished for him, looking at the pillar in fear.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Command and Analysis Room), Switzerland**

Crew Chief Ivica was not amused. He had just been called here off of his and his crew's mandatory resting period. They had already completed a mission earlier that day and now he was being called on another one. He entered the room to find the company's President, Christophe Blanc, and, Rebecka, his Communications Officer already there.

"Why was I called here? You could just as easily send another team after this one." Ivica stated calmly but insistently. "The children need to rest."

"I'm sorry, Ivica, but these are very special circumstances we are working with," Blanc said to him with a serious tone in his voice, something that happened very rarely.

"The Scub Coral reading we've been getting has shown signs of massive growth in the past few minutes and the worst part..." Rebecka said to him before pressing on the console in front of her, "is the location." The monitor showed the new Scub Coral was materializing in Okinawa, Japan.

"This is already causing territorial disputes between Japan, China, and The Okinawan Union. They all want to lay claim to the Coral," Blanc stated.

"How troublesome."

"You understand now, right? Will you respond to the order to scramble?"

Ivica looked at him for a hard moment before responding. "I don't really have much of a choice, do I?"

Blanc just smiled at him in response.

**Iwato Island (Scub Coral Arrival Site)**

"Hey! You two get out of here now!" Pippo yelled at Ao and Naru.

"Uh, right!" Ao yelled back before taking Naru's hand and pulling her away from the disaster site.

"Come on, you two!" Gazelle yelled at his companions, "We'll use the Burst to hide our escape!"

They ran back to their FPs and flew off.

"So this is… Scub Coral," Gazelle said from the inside of Han's FP.

Behind them, the pillar of light and circular symbols surrounding it disappeared as a gargantuan cropping of mushroom-shaped Coral appeared in its place. The Coral began glowing and releasing Trapar particles.

**Iwato Island (Fukai Residence)**

After Ao had dropped Naru off at her own home, promising that everything would be okay to the trembling girl, he had headed back to his own. Upon arrival, he found Toshio sitting on the steps, dressed in his doctor's attire, tying his shoes.

"Where's that FP of yours?" he asked without urgency.

"A man named Gazelle crashed into it with his own FP. He promised to pay for it later."

"That man, huh? He's been nothing but trouble to the rest of us." He finished tying his shoes and stood up. "Well, I'm off. I've been called to the clinic for when the G-Monster appears. Don't expect me back till late."

As if to respond to the old man, another pillar of light shot up in the distance and, from it, a creature made up of black and red diamond shapes appeared.

"See? Stay here and don't go anywhere till morning. I already lost your mother; I don't want to lose you too." Toshio said before heading off.

"Grandpa…" Ao said before taking out the bracelet that had been in his pocket. He noticed that it was glowing and letters were passing over the metal surface of the latch.

E-U-R-E-K-A it spelled out. "Mother…" he said, but it kept going. A-O. His own name was now shown on the latch. He gasped as he suddenly remembered.

**JAF Naval Cargo Ship: Shimokita (Positioned Near Iwato Island)**

"We're had faith that you would return to us even with all that's happened," the white uniformed officer said as he took the briefcase from Gazelle's hands.

"Of course. Unlike the mainlanders, we Okinawans actually keep our promises." Gazelle returned.

"Of course," the officer said with a laugh, after handing the case to his CO, Colonel Nakamura, "You'll receive your payment once we've confirmed that all of the case's contents are present."

"Bad luck," Nakamura said, holding the case up for the group to see, "The key is missing."

Gazelle looked and, indeed, saw an empty space where a green bracer was supposed to be.

"What now, Boss? Do you think it's back at the Scub Coral?" Pippo suggested.

"Even if it was, we can't go back there. The G-Monster is sure to appear soon." Gazelle stated.

"Well, that kid was also there. We should go and check to see if he has it." Han said.

"Wherever it is, if you can manage to get it to us in the next six hours then we'll still pay you." Nakamura said calmly even though he was questioning whether these men could really do it in his mind.

"Alright, boys. Let's go!" Gazelle as he and his partners took off in their FPs. The second column appeared soon after they left.

**Iwato Island (Fukai Residence)**

Ao remembered his mother standing there on that beach, hands behind her back and bracelet clearly visible on her left wrist. A tear slowly slid down his cheek and landed on the latch.

"Mother…"

"Hey, Kid!" He heard Gazelle's voice and felt him walk up next to him.

"So you did have it after all… Come on, give it here," he said as he tried to take it from him.

'_This is the only thing I have left of Mother. I can't let him have it.'_ He yanked the bracelet back from Gazelle.

"This bracelet is all I have left of my Mother! I won't let you take it! I won't let anyone take it!" he yelled while looking straight into the man's eyes.

Gazelle just looked at him, surprised before he made up his mind.

"Alright, if you won't give it up, then you're coming with us," Gazelle said as he picked up Ao and shoved him into the FP that was close by.

**Pacific Ocean (In Transit to Shimokita)**

"Where are you taking me?!" Ao shouted from the backseat.

"I'm taking you to a JAF ship. They have a military FP there that can be operated by that bracer you've got on. Unless you want to stand by and let that G-Monster destroy the island." Gazelle said looking ahead of them.

"What?"

"You've learned about it in school, right? The G-Monster will destroy the Scub Coral and everything in the surrounding area. You're island-born too aren't you? Don't you want to defend your home?"

"…but that international rescue group will handle it won't they?"

"What if they don't show up? The island will be doomed if we don't do something soon!" Gazelle yelled back at him.

Ao looked down. _'Can I really do something for these people?'_ he thought.

"I've tracked the ship's movements. They changed course earlier to avoid some of our military vessels. I'm sending you their location now." Han said over the communicator.

"Okay let's go!" Gazelle shouted while making a sharp turn, throwing Ao into a door.

**JAF Naval Cargo Ship Shimokita (Positioned Near Iwato Island)**

"Colonel, the Secret appears to be targeting us!" one of the officers yelled.

"I thought that Secrets only targeted Scub Coral! Why is it coming after us?!" the officer from earlier said urgently at Nakamura.

"Maybe it's because of the Mark 1…" Nakamura suggested with little worry in his voice.

"Sirs, the courier's FPs are approaching!" the radar officer called out.

"Let them aboard. They probably have the key." Nakamura said to the officer.

"Sirs, the Secret is turning its main cannon on us! I estimate a minute till impact!"

"What?!"

Meanwhile, after receiving confirmation from the com. Officer, Gazelle crashed the FP onto the ship's deck.

"That military FP is over there! Get in it!" Gazelle yelled at Ao, who was already out on the deck.

"What are you talking about?!" Ao yelled back.

"You have the key right now! You're the only one who could operate that thing!"

Ao looked down at the bracer around his wrist. _'Can I really do this?' _he thought.

'_Ao.'_

He looked up to see the translucent form of Aeterna looking at him with a smile on his face.

'_Defend the Scub Coral.'_ Heard him speak in his mind before he disappeared.

He turned to the, now coverless, FP and another memory came to him.

'_He was sitting in his mother's lap as she ran her hands through his hair. "I'm teaching it to help you… the Nirvash."'_

He now knew what Aeterna had meant. He wanted him to pilot this FP for him.

"I'll do it," he said, climbing into the cockpit, "I'll defend this island that I love." He pressed the start-up button on the center console. "I'll protect those precious to me," he said thinking of his grandfather and Naru. The round light upon the console lit up a brilliant green and, somehow his hair turned to a turquoise color.

"…and I'll keep my promise," he finished.

Then, the Secret's cannon shot struck the side of the ship and his FP was sent careening into the water.

**A/N:**

***huff* *huff* I honestly have no idea where that came from. I guess I was really enjoying writing this or maybe I just wanted to get going with the story so I could get to the bigger changes, but yeah. I cut out the unnecessary bit from the anime where the first Secret appears and nothing really happens until the second one appears and then a third one appears, I think. I'm watching as I go to remind myself of the early dialogue. It's been a little less than two years since I watched the anime for the first time. I also combined those initial scenes with the ones from the manga. Anyway, my earlier points still stand. Please make a suggestion if you have one and please point out any grammatical errors or plot inconsistencies so that I can correct them. I look forward to hearing from you.**


	4. Taking Flight

**Disclaimer: This series and its characters belong to BONES Animation Studios**

"Speech"/_'Thoughts'_

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Command and Analysis Room)**

"Don't worry about it, Prime Minister," President Blanc spoke to the Com. Window open at his side, "eliminating unknown entities that threaten mankind is the job of our company. Team Pied Piper is already in the air and ready to go when we send the word."

"You're sending your Ace team to help us?" The Okinawan Prime Minister responded, "Thank you very much!"

"The team, however, happens to be in less than perfect condition, Prime Minister, so what's say we have a little discussion about our fee?" Blanc returned letting the ambient light shine over his glasses.

"Eh? A-Alright, President," the Prime Minister replied, disgruntled.

**Génération Bleu Flying Assault Landing Ship: Triton (In Low Orbit above The Pacific Ocean)**

An orange aura covered the bottom of the ship as it began to enter the atmosphere. Its current trajectory would take it right into Okinawan Airspace.

"The Secret's distance from the Scub Coral is currently four kilometers," reported Rebecka Hallström, the Com. Officer aboard the ship, "Georg, what 's its type?"

On her monitor, the ship's AI interface popped up in response. "Ms. Hallström, Ma'am," The AI, known to the crew as Georg, said, "With the information that we've gathered, and that which we've received from HQ, we have confirmed it to be of the same type as those seen in South America in the 1940s based on a few photographs and some eyewitness accounts, however, we cannot entirely confirm the accuracy…"

As the AI continued to rattle on, Ivica, the Crew Chief, asked, "What's our ETA?"

"Eleven minutes, sir," his pilot replied.

"Unfortunately, we estimate that the Secret will reach the Scub Coral in eight minutes, at which point a large Scub Burst will occur decimating much of the island," Georg said.

Down in the ship's hanger, IFO pilot, Fleur Blanc, was not happy with this new information.

"If we wait till we get there, we'll never make it in time! Let us launch ahead of you and we'll be able to catch it!" she yelled angrily.

Over the Com, Ivica said to the other pilot, "Elena, do you agree with her?"

Not really paying attention to the situation, more interested in twirling her hair, she responded, "I'll go… If we're allowed…"

"Alright!" Fleur said loudly, but at the same time Rebecka interrupted by saying, "We can't."

"What?!"

"We don't have a signed contract yet, and the Okinawan SDF is on alert. If we operate without a contract in an area of interest like this, we'll be held in contempt and we might lose our assets like your IFOs for instance."

"So it's better to let these people die?!"

"If it can save thousands more, then yes."

"Is there nothing we can do for the children of that island?" Ivica said, sadly.

**Pacific Ocean (Below the Surface), Iwato Island**

Cold darkness.

Ao opened his eyes to find himself near the bottom of the ocean that he had been thrown into a minute earlier… and that the FP was now completely under his control. The monitor was saying something about a "Third Engine" being online, whatever that meant.

"Okay, let's try getting out of the water." He rotated the unit upward and brought the main engine online. His head impacted the head of his seat as he shot upward out of the water.

**Pacific Ocean (Shimokita Destruction Site)**

Nakamura and another senior officer had just finished getting the remainder of the ship's personnel onto the inflatable life boats that they were now in. His mood was understandably sour.

"After all of the trouble we went through getting the Mark 1 from the Americans and we lose it before we even turn it on," Nakamura said while sighing, "and now we're probably going to die when that Secret makes contact with the Scub."

Suddenly, the ocean surrounding them began to shake and out from beneath the surface of the water came:

"The Mark 1?!"

The large grey and green flying machine twisted gracefully through the air as it sped off toward the Secret which was now tearing its way through a coastal town in order to reach the Scub Coral.

"Yeah! That kid did it!" Gazelle yelled with glee. He and Pippo were only a few meters away from Nakamura's crew. "He'll save the island! I know he can!"

"What are we going to do now, Boss? I don't want to be stuck here if a battle is going on." Pippo said unenthusiastically

"Eh? Let me think…"

"Need a hand?" said a voice from behind him.

He turned around to find Han and his FP directly behind him. "Took you long enough," he said as he and Pippo climbed in before they sped off.

**Génération Bleu Flying Assault Landing Ship: Triton (Okinawan Airspace)**

The battleship sailed ever closer to the island at its top speed, but still showed no signs of launching its IFO complement.

"We still don't have a signed contract," Rebecka said with a sigh, "Fortunately, the Secret is stationary for the time being."

"I don't like it either, but I guess we'll have to wait," Ivica said, equally depressed.

"Ms. Hallström, I fear there may be an error in our detection system," Georg said suddenly.

"What kind of error?"

"I'm detecting an IFO rapidly approaching the Secret and its IDC appears to be an exact match to the Mark 1 which was withdrawn from active duty last year."

Ivica's eyes widened at this. "What did you say?!"

**Okinawan Coastal Airspace**

The G-Monster released several shots at the approaching craft and Ao quickly banked left and right to avoid them. He darted straight past the mysterious creature before pulling a lever on pure instinct. This activated the machine's automatic transformation sequence. The jet-like unit fluidly converted to a humanoid shape, its thrusters holding it up as it slammed together two pieces of its previous incarnation to form a Lift-Board which it quickly mounted.

Ao was breathing heavily, the G-Forces taking their toll on his body. Noticing that something was off, he pulled up an exterior view screen which yielded some surprising new information.

"Shoulders?" he said, "So, Mother's Nirvash is an IFO?"

His attention was diverted by a warning on his view screen. The Secret was preparing to fire again.

He gripped the controls tightly. "I can do this… I can do this… I'm not scared… I can't afford to be scared… Mother did this before me, so I can do it also… I will protect this island!" he reassured himself with increased fervor before he rushed straight at the creature, his voice ringing out in sheer determination.

He dodged the shot sent at him and impacted the monster at high speed. He attempted to strike it several times with the Nirvash's fists. This had little effect, however, as he was thrown high into the air by the G-Monster who followed his trajectory.

Seeing the Secret come straight for him, he screamed and veered the Nirvash out of the way. With a burst of speed, he headed over the island, hoping to lose his pursuer somewhere in the landscape.

**Iwato Island (Plains Area)**

Toshio Fukai drove his small van toward the Central Clinic in a hurry. He had discovered the Arata family's car flipped over in the middle of the road, and the family itself gathered in front of it. They were all covered in various injuries which were normal for that type of situation, but what irked him was the girl, Naru. She was in a lot better condition than she should be considering what they had just gone through. The rapid change in air pressure should have sent her lungs screaming in pain, and yet here she was with only the same minor bruises as the rest of the family. He would have to hold some examinations later in case she had any abnormalities.

"I'm surprised that you would help us," Mitsuo Arata, the father of Naru and her little sister Miyu, said, interrupting Toshio's thoughts.

"Your animosity towards Ao will not change the fact that he was also born of this island," Toshio replied, knowing exactly what this was about, "I don't regret my decision to take him in, or his mother."

"I don't hate the kid. I even kind of like him for giving my daughter happiness in her short life, but I can't ignore the circumstances that surround him," Mitsuo returned, sorrow in his voice.

"Father! You know he can't control what happens to this island!" Naru said fiercely, "You can't blame every bad thing that happens on him and his mother! They don't deserve it!"

Toshio smiled as the daughter lectured her own father. He had always liked how much fire the girl had despite her fragility. His thoughts were, once again, broken by a familiar looking IFO flying over his little car followed by a G-Monster.

Toshio gasped in surprise at seeing that steel giant again. "Could it be?" he wondered, "Have you returned or is it-"

That was all he was able to say as two more machines raced overhead. One was blue and the other one was red.

**Okinawan Airspace (In Transit to Scub Coral Site)**

Some hundreds of meters behind Ao and the Nirvash, were Génération Bleu's IFO team, Pied Piper. In the red-plated Kyrie, pilot Elena Peoples remarked, "The Mark 1 was the first IFO ever discovered. It was put out of commission last year after it was no longer capable of being piloted, so why is it here and who is moving it?"

Over in the blue-plated Alleluia, her partner, Fleur Blanc responded, "Whoever it is, he's obviously a rookie! He's leading the Secret right to the Scub Coral!"

Back in the Nirvash, Ao had realized his mistake when the clouds in front of the exterior cameras cleared and he could see the Scub Coral sitting right in front of him.

'_How could I be so stupid?! If we keep heading in this direction, then the G-Monster will trigger the Burst and everyone will die!' _he though feverishly as he continued to dodge enemy fire.

Unfortunately, he had no choice but to continue his approach. He couldn't risk the G-Monster not following him if he tried to lead it away so he had to stay on course and beat it before it could cause the explosion.

Holding his Lift-Board in the cradle of the Nirvash's left arm he made landing right on top of the Coral, with the Secret following suit. He poured all of his concentration into his actions as he dodged another shot before he noticed that the creature was now firing wildly in every direction, seeming to have lost interest in him.

"Is it confused?" he asked before checking his monitors. He then noticed that the Trapar density in the area was quite high. "Of course! He can't see me because of the increase in Trapar in this area!"

He felt it... The wind under his wings… the storm of Trapar.

"What's with all of the Trapar in the area, all of a sudden?" Fleur asked

"The Mark 1's third engine is online!" Elena replied with no small amount of surprise in her voice.

"What?!"

"It was the only thing that the researchers never figured out how to use…"

"He managed to get a third engine working? Who is he?"

With renewed confidence, Ao soared straight up into the air, twisting on the waves of Trapar with unimaginable skill.

"No way!"

"He's riding it!"

The Secret, reacquiring its target, shot up after him in pursuit. At the peak of his climb, Ao spun the Nirvash around and began to fall back towards the enemy. With a loud yell he extended the Nirvash's electrified knuckleduster and swung its fist right into the Secret's core, shattering it to pieces.

As he fell away, he saw the bright light and roaring sound of the Secret violently exploding above causing no damage to the Coral below it.

'_Ao, you performed brilliantly,' _he heard a familiar voice in his mind, _'Please return to us at once. We have much to discuss.'_

The voice in his mind was interrupted by the one that was coming in over the radio.

"Attention, IFO pilot. You're not broadcasting an International IDC. Please state your name and nationality," Fleur said putting on her best professional attitude.

Not really sure how to respond, he hit the communicator and a window popped up showing that he was on audio only.

"He responded. IFO pilot can you hear me?" he heard the woman over the radio say.

'_I'll probably need to talk to them eventually, but for now, I need to keep my promise and there's no better time than now. '_he thought begrudgingly.

He cancelled the Com. channel, shifted the Nirvash back to its jet-like state, and sped off toward the Plant Coral.

"He's running," Elena said.

"I'll go after him!" Fleur replied, with a hint of glee in her voice.

"Don't hurt him. He seems like a nice guy."

"That depends entirely on him."

Ivica just stared ahead, as he listened in, eyebrows lowered and in deep thought.

**Okinawan Airspace (In Transit to Iwato Island Plant Coral)**

Ao was impressed with the pilot that was chasing him. Whoever she was, she obviously had a lot of experience piloting as she was able to match him move for move, feeding off the Trapar his engine was apparently giving off unbeknownst to him.

It didn't really matter in the end, though. Once he reached the Coral, there was nothing she could do to stop him from entering it. Fleur, on the other hand, was enjoying herself. She hadn't met a pilot yet who could match her skills, Elena aside, and along came this unknown pilot who, despite his apparent inexperience, was able ride Trapar like an expert and even defeat a Secret and without suffering any damage too. She would love to meet this guy, whoever he was.

She followed him all the way to the island's Plant Coral where he landed right in the center of the Coral Cropping. She landed not too far away and activated her radio again. He had responded earlier and she had, at least, heard him breathing so she knew he could hear her.

"You know you can't run forever," she said, trying to reason with the mystery pilot, "so why don't you come back with me and we can-" She paused at the sight before her.

The Mark 1 had begun to kneel as if the pilot was going to exit the unit, but before she could do anything, the Coral below the first IFO began to shine white. Suddenly, several white tendrils rose up, engulfing the unit and drawing it into the Coral before settling down as if nothing had ever happened.

Fleur just stared in fear over what had happened.

"W-W-What just h-happened?" she said shakily.

"Fleur? What's wrong? The Mark 1's IDC disappeared all of a sudden," she heard Rebecka say over the radio.

"The Scub Coral… it ate the Mark 1!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I saw several white tentacle-like things reach up and pull the Mark 1 into the Coral."

"What? That's not possible! The Coral isn't even active!"

"I'm just telling you what I saw!"

"Her vocal patterns and vital signs indicate that she is telling the truth," she heard Georg say.

After a short moment of confused silence, Rebecka said, "Well, whatever happened, our top priority as of now is retrieving the Quartz. Go on and help Elena."

"O-Okay," she said, and with one last look, she hurried back toward the island's ne Scub Coral.

**Iwato Island Plant Coral (The Zone)**

This time Ao found himself in a vast cavern with massive pillars of stone leading up to ridged ceilings that were glowing a light green color. Sticking out of those ceilings appeared to be white, humanoid shapes.

"Archetypes," a familiar voice said from behind him, startling him in the process

"What?" Ao asked, turning around to see Aeterna directly behind him.

"You were looking at those bodies on the ceiling. Those are called Archetypes."

"What's an Archetype? And why are we suddenly talking now? I thought you preferred telepathy?"

"I only did that as a demonstration the last time you were here and I used it outside because it is necessary. Now, to answer your question, an Archetype is a biological structure that, when fed with electric current, can be manipulated into moving much in the same vein as a human body. They were used as base structures for fighting mechanoids, similar to your IFO's, on the Scub's home planet."

"Wouldn't it be a lot more efficient just to use a purely mechanical body?"

"Ah, but you see on the Scub's world, these were found before they figured out how to construct purely mechanical base bodies, besides, even though they are a lot harder to repair, the Archetypes have their advantages. For example, if the right person or persons pilot one, an Archetype is capable of generating mass amounts of Trapar."

"I see… Wait! We can talk about that later! What about the promise?" Ao asked, bringing them back to the reason he was here in the first place.

"Ah, yes. Well, you've succeeded in bringing the Nirvash and for that I congratulate you, but it alone will not be enough to suppress the Secrets."

"Wait, you want me to pilot for you? To fight the G-Monsters? How do you expect me to do that? I barely survived the fight with the last one!"

"I thought you wanted to defend your home, and to find out the fate of your mother? What happened to the resolve you had when you entered the Nirvash?"

"I…" He looked away. He knew all that the man in front of him was saying was true, but he still was held back by that one emotion that dug its roots deep in his soul: fear.

"Ao…" he said with a sad look on his face, "I'm only asking this of you because you are the only one of us that can enter the real world and fight in our defense. If there were any other option, I would gladly take it, but there is none."

Ao thought about it for a while. If what he was saying was true, then the Scub Coral was sentient, intelligent life. To walk away now would be to doom an entire race to death. He couldn't allow that and keep himself from regretting it for the rest of his life. He would fight. For the Scub, for his mother, and for the people of the island, he would fight.

"Alright, I'll fight for you." He said with conviction.

"I'm glad. If you will fight then I'll give you the means to do so."

Behind Aeterna, The Nirvash rose from the ground, and another IFO rose right next to it. This new one had a red and white color scheme and it looked similar to the Nirvash, but it had much smoother aesthetics and no visible weaponry.

"Aeterna, what is this?"

"This, my friend, is an LFO. The first of its kind to be built on the homeworld."

"LFO?"

"It stands for 'Light-Finding Operation.' This was the kind of mecha I was telling you about earlier. This one is named Nirvash type ZERO and it was piloted by both your mother and your father."

"What? Mother and Father fought together in this machine?"

"That's right. Unfortunately, this is only a replica of the original, but it's got a type ZERO Archetype and that's all that matters."

He placed his hand against the type ZERO, but yanked it back when he felt a flood of emotions pour out of the "machine." He had felt the recognition that comes with meeting with an old friend after a long time apart, the happiness of meeting a new friend for the first time, and the sorrow of being separated from someone that is important to you all in the same second.

"What was that?"

"It uses a biological body. It is alive and intelligent just like the Coral that it comes from."

"Can it die?"

"Yes, if subjected to enough physical damage, it can die. I hope that you won't treat it that roughly though."

"Are you giving me the type ZERO?"

"No, I'm going to take the organic and breathe new life into the mechanical," he said raising his hands.

At his utterance, the two machines turned translucent and moved towards each other until they overlapped completely and in a bright flash of light, a new "IFO" was born. It looked like a true fusion of two machines that it was made of. It had the Mark 1's color scheme and base design, but it was smoother and had more complex armor. Donned on its shoulders were the two pieces of its Lift-Board and on just behind the cockpit was a spoiler.

"This is what you'll use to fight the Secrets."

The machine kneeled down for him as he climbed to the cockpit. He felt a new emotion emerge as he gripped the exterior of his new machine: determination. When he reached his destination he found another surprise waiting for him. There were two seats and two sets of controls.

"Why are there two pilot's seats here?"

"One good pilot is fine, but two pilots controlling separate aspects of the machine while working in perfect synch would nearly triple the efficiency of the machine. Your mother understood this and chose your father to pilot with her. Soon you'll also have to choose someone to trust your life with," he said with a smile.

Ao blushed at the double-meaning as thoughts of a certain someone filled his head. He shook it off.

"Why don't you come back down here? I have one more thing to give you."

Ao hopped down from the new unit and walked over to Aeterna. The man placed a small device in his hand. The strange contraption had three screens arranged in a triangular formation with a handle at the bottom and a dark blue and grey cover on the top.

"What is it?"

"It's called a Compact Drive. It belonged to your parents and it will help you interface with the Nirvash."

"Another memento from Mother… Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said, still smiling, "and one more thing. I said that some of your questions about your family would be answered."

"Oh, I almost forgot. What can you tell me about them?"

"I can't tell you anything directly, but I can tell you how you can find them."

Ao's heart clenched in his chest. To finally meet his parents… his mother…. To find them again was worth anything.

"How can I find them?" he asked wistfully.

"That rescue company, Génération Bleu are responsible for purging Secrets from this world, and unofficially, they are dedicated to finding the Mark 1's lost pilot; your mother. If you join up with them, then there's a good chance that you'll find her," he said with a wink.

Ao was a little disappointed. Sure, this was the most he had ever had to go on, but he wished that the man would have been able to tell him more.

"Hey, don't look so down. You'll find her. I have faith in you," the man said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I think I'd like to leave now. I want to see if everyone is all right after the Secret's rampage."

"Of course. Like I said before, you can come and go at any time through the door behind you. This time, I think I'll let you out into that cave you like to visit on the south side of the island. That would make a good hiding place, don't you think?"

"You can do that?"

"The Scub is rooted deeply under the island now. I could deposit you anywhere I wanted to. Now go back to your friends and family. I'm sure they are worried about you."

"R-Right."

He turned around to spot a hanger door this time. It was big enough to fit the Nirvash through. When he turned back around to say goodbye to the man, he found that he was gone.

**Iwato Island South Cave**

Ao and the Nirvash emerged from the wall at the back of the cave in a waterfall of rainbow light. Hopping down from the machine, he looked outside to find that it was almost morning. He really wanted to just lie down in the water and take a nap, but he knew he had to go see if everything was okay back home.

It had been a really long night…

**A/N:**

**Oh God, that last conversation was painful to write. I'm very unsatisfied with the way that turned out and I'll be sure to edit and update it later. This is still a whole lot of fun to write and I'd never stop for something so trivial. By the way, if you want to know what the new Nirvash looks like, then I'll tell you that it looks similar to the Mark 1 did with Truth's Archetype only with more of the Type ZERO carried over. As always, please leave a suggestion if you have one and point out any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes if you see them. Help me out, guys. Please? ;_;**


	5. Suppression

**Disclaimer: This series and its characters belong to BONES Animation Studios**

"Speech"/_'Thoughts'_

**Génération Bleu Battleship: Triton**

"Our apologies," the SDF officer said over the Com. Screen, "but the government is currently unwilling to give you access to the Scub Coral. This is the second piece of priceless Coral that our country has managed to acquire and we cannot allow you to take it from us because of an enemy who may or may not appear. Good day."

As the screen closed, Ivica rubbed his temples in frustration "Those fools. Don't they realize how dangerous this is?"

"It doesn't matter," Rebecka said from his left, "We don't have clearance to deploy and take the Quartz for risk of cutting off relations with the Okinawan Union."

"As long as the Scub Coral remains active, the Secrets will continue to appear. They'll wind up dead if they keep us from acting."

**Iwato Island (Fukai Residence)**

Ao approached the building from the front gate as he would on any other day. To him, it really was like returning home from a long journey after how hectic the past few hours had been.

'_That's right,' _he thought_, 'I should be starting middle school today. I was going to wake up extra early to pick up… Naru.' _He wiped the tears from his eyes as now was neither the time nor the place for such thoughts. He would lament over the loss of his normal life later, when he was in private.

His tumultuous thoughts were brought to a sudden halt when he heard an unfamiliar voice coming from his front yard. He peered around his fence and gasped as he saw several uniformed SDF soldiers talking to his Grandfather.

"Where's the kid, Dr. Fukai?" the lead soldier said, "He's caused a lot of problems for this island and he must answer for that."

"I have no idea where that boy is, Lieutenant," Toshio replied, exasperated. Several people had come to bug him about his child in the past hour and this group of soldiers was only the latest in a long line. "I was going to go look for him myself if you'd be kind enough to move out of my way."

"I can't stop you from doing so, but I have to warn you that lack of cooperation will not be tolerated in the future. We have eyewitness reports by several of the Japanese soldiers we saved placing that boy in that IFO."

Toshio's eyes widened as he heard that. Could that son of his really have piloted that IFO or had his mother finally returned and these soldiers were lying?

When Ao himself heard that, he knew that he couldn't stay at his grandfather's house or he would be captured by the SDF. As he ran he caught a quick glimpse of himself in a mirror as he ran away. His mind registered an absence of the color brown on his person and he slowly stepped back to a shocking sight. His once brown locks had now been replaced by those of a turquoise color. He almost collapsed to his knees as another memory shook his entire being.

'_His mother was sitting there on the steps of the Fukai household, a bottle of thick, brown fluid in one hand and a thin comb in her other as she continually brushed the fluid through her hair, changing its color from its natural blue. She was changing herself, hiding her identity, and it was all for his sake.'_

He couldn't stop the tears from falling from his eyes this time. He ran from the world to the only place that he could know peace, even if it was only for a short time.

**Iwato Island Central Clinic**

Naru jerked awake in her chair. After arriving at the clinic, Dr. Fukai had patched up the entire family and dismissed them to wait in one of the tents outside so that other patients in worse condition could be treated. The SDF wouldn't let them leave the clinic until Gen. Bleu assured them it was safe so she had sat down in a chair and dozed off for a while. She had dreamed of Ao fighting the G-Monster in the Sea Giant that had been part of the islands legends for centuries. It had been the same on that had protected her all of those years ago. She was sure of it.

The cause of her awakening was just outside the tent. She could hear her father talking to some other men outside, so she leaned in close to the side to hear what they were talking about.

"The SDF is looking for that kid," one of the men said, "They think he piloted the Sea Giant. If they find him, they'll take him into custody and they might use him to ward off our enemies."

"We can't let that happen," another man said, "If he's captured then they'll let him stay here and we won't even be able to get near him."

"Then we'll just have to find him before the SDF does," Mitsuo said, "Scour the island for him, and if you find him don't be too rough. We shouldn't hurt him. Bring him to Kazuyuki so he can convince him to leave. If any of you should have doubts, then remember that this is for the sake of the island and for our children."

Naru had already fled the tent by the time Mitsuo had returned, searching for the friend that she had held so close to her heart.

She searched all of his usual spots until only one remained.

"There's only one place left. I've searched everywhere else," Naru said with desperation in her voice.

**Iwato Island Lighthouse Area**

Ao stood on the beach looking out into the horizon and breathing in the crisp ocean air. It had been like this since he had been a child. Whenever he would get upset or angry, he would come to the ocean and mull things over either in the water or sitting on the ocean. He had come to love the ocean just like the island itself… but the island didn't love him. The people there hated his mother and didn't trust him even though he was born here like the rest of them. To them, he was an anomaly and it was better that he left their sight as soon as possible.

His sorrowful thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see his best friend standing there looking at him with tears in her eyes. He was about to say something when she ran forward and embraced him. Her body felt warm against his.

"You idiot," she said with both happiness and sorrow in her voice, "I was so worried about you. The whole island is looking for you. I thought they might have caught you already."

He returned the hug while saying, "Naru… I'm sorry…"

They pulled apart shortly afterward and both turned toward the sea, hand in hand.

"I dreamed about you," Naru said, "I saw your fight with the G-Monster. I saw how badly you wanted to protect the island and what you what you went through to do it. The others should be treating you as a hero."

"They don't understand what's happening to them and they can only see their own misfortune," he replied, "They need something to blame. An easy way out. It used to be my mother, but she's gone now and they have only me."

"Several years ago, I was protected by the Sea Giant during the Scub Burst, and last night, I was protected once again… by you. You were the Sea Giant, Ao. Thank You."

He thought for a moment before saying, "Would you like to see it?"

Her eyes widened, "You would show me?"

"Of course. It's in that cave we used to play in when we were children. We can go now if you'd like," he said, the thought of it bringing a smile to his face.

"I'd like that a lot, Ao. Let's go," she said returning his smile.

Ao was about to turn and lead the way, but his arms were suddenly restrained by another pair of arms.

"Huh?! AGH!"

He struggled and fought, but the other man was stronger and he couldn't break free from his grasp. He turned his head sideways to see Naru just barely being restrained by her father and yelling out his name as she struggled to break his hold on her. Both of their efforts were for naught, however, as he was being dragged away.

**Iwato Island South Cave (Nirvash Hiding Spot)**

"Ah, I thought it might be here," Gazelle said as he ran his hand along the dark grey surface of the machine, "We used to play here as kids. Only certain islanders know about this spot. It really is the perfect hiding place."

After escaping the wreckage of the Shimokita, Gazelle and his group had been spying on Gen. Bleu's IFOs. Apparently they were still in talks with the Okinawan government regarding their ownership of the Scub Coral, and the two machines remained stationary. Deciding that it wasn't worth it to watch them anymore, Gazelle decided to search for the Mark 1 instead. Even though the boy didn't know it, Gazelle had been watching Ao from afar in disapproval of the islander's mistreatment of him. So he knew a lot of the places the boy would choose to hide things and this was a big one. After all, he and the boys had played here as kids once too.

"It's odd though," Han said, trying unsuccessfully to break the cockpit's access codes, "It looks different from before, at least, from what I could make out."

"They said that this thing "entered" the Scub Coral," Pippo, added while watching the entrance, "Maybe something happened to it while it was in there."

"Either way," Gazelle said, removing his hand from the machine, "It doesn't look like we can do anything more here."

"So, what should we do then?" Han asked.

"Well it's obvious, isn't it?" Gazelle said with a smile, "Let's go get the guy who can move this thing."

**Iwato Island Coastal Town **

Ao found himself seated in a chair, his wrists bound to its legs, and the room around him almost completely dark aside from the light coming in through the window. Sitting in front of him was a man with a kind face who was playing his Sanshin quietly. This man was a famous musical talent on the island. His name was Kazuyuki Kaneshiro, and he was a major proponent of peace. Some of the men had wanted to hurt Ao, to take out their angers and frustrations on him, but Kaneshiro had stopped them. Silence ensued as the man finished his piece and placed his Sanshin on the ground.

"Ao Fukai, correct?" he spoke, his voice melodic, "Why don't you tell us where you hid the Sea Giant?"

"The Giant? What are you talking about?" Ao said angrily, "Why do you keep thinking that I had something to do with this?!"

"Why?" the man said, his eyes darkening, "The entire reason the island is like this is because we can't keep ignoring you."

"What?"

"Thirteen years ago, your mother fell from the sky and gave birth to you. The other islanders feared her because she was an unknown factor, an anomaly. Soon after this event, their fear was realized in the worst way in the form of the Scub Burst that hit the main island of Okinawa. Once she disappeared, the Burst ended and the people began to think that she had brought the Scub here to begin with."

Ao's eyes widened and his heart clenched again at the hardship his mother endured. "So, what should I do then?"

"You can do only one thing that will satisfy the peoples of this island. You must leave."

"But this island is my home! I was born here with the rest of you!"

"Calm yourself!" Kaneshiro shouted, "I understand your feelings boy, but these men and women will settle for nothing less. Hell, they even wanted to sell you to the Japanese! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even have a choice. So, you must leave or you will be made to leave on much less pleasant terms.

Ao looked down at his feet. _'It seems that I'll always be hated… All I ever wanted to do was live here in peace, but I guess that isn't an option now.'_

**Iwato Island Civilian Shelters**

Mitsuo was having a rough time of it trying to keep his daughter from leaving to go look for that boy. She had been trying to get out ever since he had dragged her here. Why did she care so much for an outsider?

"Your mother died in the Scub Burst all of those years ago! Am I supposed to ignore that!" he yelled while trying to keep her from slipping past him.

"Father! Why must you blame everything on Ao! There's no way that he is the cause of all of this!"

"Him and his mother were the ones who brought that disaster with them, whether they meant to or not."

"You have no way of knowing that! You're wrong!" She yelled into his face before stomping off.

**Iwato Island (Kazuyuki Residence)**

Of all the things that could happen from that point onward, a car crashing through the wall behind him was certainly not the first thought in his head. He was thrown forward, land on his face with the back of the chair towards the ceiling. Thankfully he could feel someone untying the ropes around his wrists. "There you go, kid." He stood up to find that it was Gazelle who had done the job.

"You really have a thing for entrances don't you?"

"I try, I try. Anyway, don't listen to these idiots. There's no way you're the cause of this islands problems. Come with me, kid."

"Jirou! What do you think you're doing?!" Kaneshiro said as he rose from the rubble "I could have handed that kid over to the Japanese army and secure independence, but I gave him a choice! I would have let him leave on his own!"

"Jirou?"

"You didn't think I was actually named Gazelle, did you? And, as for you, you foolish old man, you just Listen up! You know why we bullied this kid? We did it only because the adults told us to! 'He's an alien, a foreigner.' You know you handled neither the Scub Burst nor the issues of our independence in the best way!"

At this point, Kaneshiro's men were looking away in shame, and the man himself was steaming. "What would you know about our government's policies?!"

"I haven't just been goofing off in all these years away from home like you seem to think. I've studied the original charter for our independence. Sure, officially it makes us an independent nation, but we still have to give the mainland a large amount of our goods and services every year. You have no right to judge this boy, when you would sell out our nation rather than fighting for it like he has!"

Kaneshiro cooled down after that. He no longer had the heart to argue after his and his government's sin had been so plainly laid out before him. Ao and Gazelle were free to ride out of there in the undamaged FP.

"That father of mine disgusts me!" Gazelle said loudly, "We should achieve independence through our own power! Him even considering selling out a kid is disgraceful."

"Was it really such a good idea to damage your own house?" Pippo asked nervously.

"It's not my house anymore. It stopped being my house a long time ago," Gazelle replied, sighing.

"Um…" Ao said tentatively, "Thank you for getting me out of there…"

"Hey it's no problem, kid. You didn't deserve that kind of treatment, especially from him."

"Can I ask why?"

"Well, originally I was going to ask you to help us achieve independence with that IFO of yours, but now I don't think you'd be so eager. Now, I guess I'm doing this as a sort of apology."

"An apology?"

"Yeah, I said it before, didn't I? There was a time when we thought along the same lines as everyone else. We bullied you and your mother just because you were different and for that, I wanted to apologize. Getting you away from the old man is best I can do for now, I'm afraid," he said, his lips curving into a smile

"I'll drop you off back at your house. Okay, kid?"

"Yeah… thanks…"

**Iwato Island SDF Outpost (Scub Coral Site)**

"Damned monster… It'll take years to rebuild it all," said the SDF officer surveying the ruined town.

"Sir!" one of his aids exclaimed, running up to him, "We've been getting massive energy readings on the radar. It looks like a G-Monster is appearing!"

"No… Contact the Triton!"

**Génération Bleu Battleship: Triton**

"We could never have guessed that it would appear this soon," the SDF officer said over the Com, "What can we do?"

"Our HQ is working up a new contract with your government. You understand that steps to "remove" the Secret must be taken? Are you alright with that?" asked Rebecka, relieved to finally take action.

"…I'm counting on you…" the SDF officer returned, "I'm officially requesting your help."

"Leave it to us," Rebecka said with a smile. Changing the Com, she said, "Fleur, Elena? Are you ready?"

"It's about time!" Fleur replied.

"We'll begin as soon as the Secret appears," Elena said.

"It's in your hands now," Ivica told them, "Good luck."

"Got it! We'll handle it to the best of our ability."

**Iwato Island (Fukai Residence)**

Ao returned home to find that the islanders had left a nice surprise for him. Graffiti splattered all over the outside walls of the house. All of it was saying something to the effect of "Alien! Disappear!"

"Ao!" He turned to see Toshio walking up to him with a backpack on his back.

"Grandfather! Are you okay?" he asked in reference to the men from earlier.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine, but it's dangerous for you here now. Let's go to the evacuation site."

"Why are they doing this? Huh?" He was surprised as Toshio gripped his shoulders.

"Ao, don't hate them. You mustn't hate them."

"What?"

"Ever since the Scub Coral arrived, the feelings on this island have been a mess of money, independence, territorial issues… It's driven us apart from each other, but our love for the island hasn't changed and we all want to protect it."

"So, what should I do?"

"That is your decision."

He took a photo from his white coat and handed it to him. On it, he recognized himself as a child and his mother holding his hand and smiling joyfully.

"Your mother was the same way." He looked up. "Even though the island hated her, she continued to fight for it and for you. So, the real question is: what will you do, Ao?"

"I-I…"

He couldn't say anymore as a colossal burst of rainbow light erupted in the sky. When it subsided, a long, black and red structure was present in its place. It was gigantic, covering the land below in shadows, and it wasn't unlike an airship that the Allied Forces used only much larger and certainly sleeker.

"Another Secret…"

He almost didn't notice the child gripping his arm. He turned to see a little boy standing behind him, his eyes filled with tears. "Hey, you're the Sea Giant, right? Aren't you going to go and beat that thing?"

"Hey! Stay away from that kid! He's dangerous!" a woman who was probably the boy's mother shouted while running up to take him away. The child, however, just turned around and yelled right back at the woman, "No he's not! He's the Sea Giant! The Sea Giant loves and protects this island! He will save us!"

Ao blinked in surprise at the display. It suddenly hit him, what was truly important. It brought up another memory in his mind. It was of his mother teaching him that to love something was to be filled with happiness. _'Even if some may hate me, I have others on this island whom I love and some who might love me as well. I… I want to protect them.'_

"Grandfather," he said, his eyes filled with determination, "I finally understand. I'm sick of people hating me, but people would hate me even more if I stood back and let these things destroy the island. I want to protect the people I love that live on this island and I want to protect my home. I still… love this island."

"Ao?"

"I'm sorry Grandfather, but I have to go. Please leave this place if you can." With that said, he ran off in the direction of his fate and unfortunately, he couldn't see Kaneshiro around the corner and leaning on a wall, eyes closed and a smile on his face.

**Iwato Island Civilian Shelters**

"Sis!" Naru heard her sister call out, waking her from her stupor. "Sis, are you okay?" Miyu asked a look of clear concern on her face.

"Yes, I'm fine. I've just got a really bad feeling." That was an understatement to her. Her Yuta powers had activated again and in the future, she saw a terrifying emptiness. Like everything would soon end.

She took her sister's hand and led her along the road to the evacuation area. The SDF thought that this Secret would cause such great damage to the island that the entire island needed to be evacuated.

"Naru!" she heard a call from her side. It was Dr. Fukai.

"Dr. Fukai," she said, looking around, "Um… Where's Ao?"

"He ran off talking about protecting the island. He'll probably be headed toward the Sea Giant right now."

'_No…'_

"I have to go find him. Please take care of Miyu!" she called out as she ran off to the place Ao had told her about.

'_Ao… I won't let you do this alone.'_

**Iwato Island South Cave**

"Damn!" Gazelle yelled, kicking the side of the machine.

"What are you trying to do?!" Han said as he continued his attempts to hack the cockpit.

"I just want to get in this thing and fight!" Gazelle called out, "That G-Monster could erase this island at any moment, and the burden of fighting is too much to place on the shoulders of one kid."

"How do you plan on doing that? He has the key to make it work." Pippo said to his right.

"Well, if the techie would hurry up and hack this thing, then we might be able to do something!"

"Hey! It's not my fault! This thing keeps changing its code every time I get close. It's like it knows what I'm doing," Han said, exasperated.

"That's because he does." The voice came from behind them.

The three turned to see Ao entering the cave.

"Ao?"

"Gazelle, I finally understand. I love this island and its people and I want to fight for them."

"So, you finally figured it out huh… what's worth fighting for."

"Yeah."

The boy climbed up to the cockpit, the hatch opening for him automatically and the machine's computers starting up.

Han scratched his head in confusion. "How?"

"He recognizes me," Ao said simply.

"He?"

"The Nirvash."

He buckled himself into the left side pilot seat and picked up the Compact Drive that he had left in the cockpit when he went back to his home. _'He said it would help me interface with the machine, but how?'_

"Ao, you idiot!" He looked up in surprise to find Naru standing above him looking down through a large hole in the cave's ceiling. "Naru?"

"Where do you think you're running off to by yourself?!"

"Huh?"

"I had a bad feeling not too long ago, like the future was empty and you were going to disappear forever, so… Take me with you!"

"What?! I'm not-" He stopped himself. He felt the Nirvash's feelings wash over him. He wanted Ao to take her with them and felt that she would be able to help him. They had been friends for years, so they should be able to work in tandem, right? He realized that he also wanted her to come along and be his co-pilot, despite how much he hated to admit it.

"Ao?" He had been silent for a long time.

"Alright," he said, reaching his hand up to help her down, "Come and fly with me."

"Ao," she said, as she took his hand, "even if all others should hate you, I'll always be there for you." She didn't know why she wanted to say that as he guided her into the cockpit, she just did.

She buckled herself into the right side pilot's seat and Ao gave her a brief rundown of the controls.

"I was told that if we worked in synch, that we would be three times more efficient than if just a single person was piloting, but we've never done this before so I'll do most of it, okay?"

"Okay, Ao, but you have to promise that we'll do it half-and-half later."

"I promise," he chuckled, as he set the Synch Ratio to 80%/20%, "There. That should be good for now. Let's go, Naru!"

"Okay!" she said, pulling the lever in the center of the cockpit. The machine rose into the air and converted into its elongated jet mode before blasting out of the cave at full speed.

Gazelle's group looked on as the two children made their way toward a new future.

**A/N:**

**Yeah, the snow disaster that hit my home town is over, so I won't be putting these out as frequently as I was before. I do apologize, but I can only spend so much time writing when I have other things to work on and time for myself to rest. Originally, this chapter was going to be longer, and it was going to include the second fight, the meeting between the four pilots, and the decision to join Gen. Bleu, but I don't have the will to write that right now. I'll get to it in the next chapter and I'll include the introduction to the Gen. Bleu headquarters and possibly the third Secret battle, but that might be pushing the word count to its limit. So, if you'll notice, I completely ignored the scenes from the anime and went with the manga instead. Eventually I'll have to switch back over, but it is so much easier to deal with dialogue when it's in a written form and I don't have to use a video streamer. I guess it's as good a time as any to say that I'm going to rework Elena Peoples' backstory. I kinda feel like BONES was leaning toward the direction that I'm going to take her in, but changed at the last moment. Also, the Nirvash will have a tank/car mode like the original. What use it will be, I don't know, but it'll have one. As always, please post a suggestion if you have one, and please point out any grammer or spelling mistakes you see so that I can correct them.**


	6. Child Soldiers

**A/N: I'm really sorry for making you guys wait, but I'm really bad at balancing my hobbies. I express my sincerest apologies to MEleeSmasher who I lied to several times about when this was going to be updated. Well you've waited long enough, so here it is.**

**Disclaimer: This series and its characters belong to BONES Animation Studios**

"Speech"/_'Thoughts'_

**Iwato Island Scub Coral (The Zone)**

"He's finally taken to the skies with his chosen one," Aeterna said, smiling, "This will be the beginning of his journey."

"With the help of your influence, no doubt," said the woman behind him, her voice not unkind.

"I had nothing to do with that. It was the Nirvash. It allowed him to see his own desire, his need for companionship."

"Well, I still don't like the idea of bringing another innocent child into this."

"You know that he cannot finish this without her. I've done all that I could to ease her transition to the battlefield, but, in the end, he needs her. He hasn't the strength to fight them on his own."

"I know," she replied, sighing, "Let's just hope that they can pull off an Awakening."

"If he realizes the purpose of the Compact Drive, then it shouldn't be too much of a problem. They'll need to perform it eventually, but a slight delay won't harm the Contact too much."

"I guess I'm just sentimental," she laughed, "He would be just like his father."

"Hm. We'll see."

**Iwato Island Coastal Airspace**

"Agh!" Ao grunted as the Nirvash swerved to the side at an odd angle, throwing him off balance. It seemed that his decision to set the Synch Ratio so high on his side had been a mistake as Naru was actually managing to _over-pilot_ on her side.

'_How could she already be this good at flying? She's never even flown an FP before!' _he thought, reaching over to set the Synch Ratio to 65%/35%. That seemed to even things out a bit more. He would tinker with it later.

"There, we should fly a little smoother now," Ao said, a grin appearing on his face, "Looks like I underestimated you, huh?"

"I guess," Naru said with a frown, "I don't really know why I have these skills. It's like I always knew how to pilot this thing. It's like an instinct, but I couldn't tell you why it's there."

"Naru… cheer up."

"Huh?"

"Don't worry about it. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out later. As long as it helps us save the island, then we shouldn't be so gloomy about it, right?"

"Ao, I'm not worried, I'm just… uneasy about all of this."

Before he could say any more, a radar screen popped up in front of Naru. "It's looks like we're close to the G-Monster. It's moving closer to the Scub. Also, it looks like there are two other mecha nearby, but they're coming at the Monster from the other side," she said, the calm of her voice easing some of his nerves.

"Alright, let's shift modes and fight him up close."

Both of them were scared, but each of them wanted to put on a brave face for the other who they knew was hiding their own fear. It wasn't the best situation to enter combat, but they had no choice. At least they were supporting each other which would be the key to their survival.

Ao pushed the lever on the center console to the first position, activating the Nirvash's transformation into its humanoid form. He pulled up the armaments list and brought out its two main weapons: a pair of auto-firing rail guns. He and Naru both tilted the joysticks downward, pulling them into a straight dive towards the Secret.

Meanwhile, The Alleluia and the Kyrie were rapidly approaching the Secret as well when they caught sight of the Nirvash.

"What's that?" Fleur asked, pulling up a zoomed-in view of the machine, "It looks somewhat like the Mark 1, but it can't be. I saw it swallowed by that Scub Coral."

"It is the Mark 1," Elena replied, clearly interested.

"What? How can that be?"

"It's giving off the same IDC, but this time, it's identifying itself as 'RA272 Nirvash spec-2.' Do you know what that means?"

"I've never heard that name before. What's going on?"

"I have," said Ivica, over the Com, "Nirvash was Eureka's name for the Mark 1. I'm surprised to hear it after all of this time, especially since no country ever publicly acknowledged that as the machine's true name. As for the other identifier, your guess is as good as mine."

"The term spec-2, likely means 'Specification 2,'" Georg said, popping up in the OS, "In other words, an upgraded model based on the original design."

"Whatever the case," Ivica responded, "we still don't know who the pilot is. Do not engage in active hostilities unless the… Nirvash shows them toward us or the Scub Coral. You are to work with it to destroy the Secret. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir," they both replied.

"I can't believe we get to fight with the Mark 1!" Elena exclaimed, giddily.

"I'll try and radio him once we get close enough. Maybe we can finally learn just what the hell is going on around here," Fleur said while sighing at her partner's enthusiasm.

Ao grunted as the two of them pulled out of the dive. The enigmatic creature was directly in front of them, moving at a quickened pace toward its ultimate objective. He transferred navigation control to Naru and narrowed his eyes, taking aim at the dark giant.

'_I'm not afraid. This is for the island. Naru is even with me,' _he thought, taking a deep breath and lining up his shot. Before he could pull the triggers, they were hit hard from the side. Recovering, he looked up to see a familiar looking foe.

"It's the same as before!" he exclaimed, identifying the creature as the same on he had fought previously, "How can this be?"

To his surprise, another one appeared next the one that had just attacked and yet another to its other side. Soon, they were completely surrounded by these smaller creatures.

"Ao, we have to get out of here!" Naru said, "I'm seeing hundreds of them on the radar. There's no way we can take them all on; you barely survived the last one!"

'_I can't let my vision come true,' _she thought,_ 'I can't let him disappear forever...'_

Ao would have responded, but the Secrets suddenly began to rush them. They quickly dodged several incoming attacks and made a break for it, bursting through the cloud of enemies. Heading for the "carrier," they swung the Nirvash all around the colossal creature, the smaller Secrets following them move for move. Soon the smaller ones caught up to them and began to circle the Nirvash. One of them came forward to slash at the Nirvash. They dodged to side... into the path of another Secret's attack.

One after another would quickly break from the swarm to strike the Nirvash's armor. The two pilots had no time to react. They were taking serious damage.

"We're completely surrounded! We can't- AGH!"

They were both thrown forward as another Secret struck them from behind, the safety harness being the only thing that saved them from impacting the consoles in front of them. Ao felt something on his lap. He looked down to see the Compact Drive. It must have fallen out of his pocket with all of the turbulence from the wind and the Secrets.

'_He said it would help me interface with the Nirvash, but how?' _he thought. He transferred full control to Naru and started looking around the cockpit.

"Ao! What are you doing?! I can't do this myself!" Naru shouted at him while tilting the joysticks to the right to dodge another Secret coming at them, just barely getting away.

"I'm sorry, but I need you to hold on for just a little longer. I need to check something," he attempted to reassure her as he continued searching.

"Well, hurry up!"

He nodded to her and as he lowered his head, he spotted something. His eyes finally settled on a handle that was in the center console, just behind the mode shifter, between him and Naru. It was slightly ajar and it had a hole at the end of it as if something was meant to be inserted there. "Well, here goes nothing," he said inserting the Compact Drive into the hole and moving the handle to its upright position.

The effect was immediate. The Drive lit up with bright, lavender light and on the monitor, the Synch Ratio now changed to Synch Percentage and read 73.32%. His eyes widened as the word Eureka spread across the surface of the Drive before swiftly being replaced by two words: Astral Ocean. Outside of the cockpit, the Nirvash began glowing and emitting spreading bright particles through the air, causing the Secrets to back away from their target, cautious of this new development.

"Ao, what's happening?" Naru asked, suddenly panicked. He looked over to see her slowly waving a hand in front of her face, and her eyes were now... lavender? "I can see... light. It's in the wind and... we're being carried by it like... waves on the ocean..."

'_It sounds like she's talking about Trapar... But, I thought...'_

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by an urging in his mind; an urging to rapidly change direction and climb. Pulling up a rear view, he saw the very attack he had anticipated moments before. One of the Secrets had become bold and decided to attack while they had been stationary. The confusing aspect of the situation was that his fellow pilot had reacted at the same time that he had. He had no time to ask about it, however, as the Secrets came after him again.

He had no idea what the Compact Drive had done, but now they apparently shared the controls equally now. Flying, which had previously been an awkward balancing act, was now a natural experience. Naru was somehow following his movements almost exactly. They shared an invisible link which could not be defined. It was almost as if their minds were one. With the new-found "Boomerang Knives," the pair was able to destroy several Secrets in between their bouts of high-speed dodging.

This dramatic change in performance was noticed by Fleur and Elena who had just arrived on the battlefield.

"Well he seems to be doing a lot better. I was worried there for a moment," Fleur said in admiration, "He's doing pretty good for a rookie."

"What's say we give him a hand?" Elena said cheerfully.

"Yeah, he looks like he could use it."

Ao and Naru were still deep in the swarm.

"There's no end to these things! At this rate, the Secret will reach the Scub Coral before we land a single hit on it!" Ao said in frustration.

"Calm down," Naru said to her fellow pilot, "We need to think of a way to take them all out at once. That way we can focus on the big one and destroy it before it can send out more."

"But, how are we going to do that?"

Naru was about to speak again when they were suddenly surrounded by fire. Every one of the Secrets around them seemed to combust simultaneously. Ao shielded his eyes, Naru doing the same, and when the light cleared on the edge of his vision, he lowered his arm to reveal an impressive sight.

"More IFOs?" he said. Indeed, in front of the Nirvash were two bulky IFOs colored blue and red respectively. Then, the blue one surprised them both by dashing straight for them with both its hands straight forward. Before they could react, it collided with them and proceeded to rapidly push them away from the Secret while the red one turned around, and started bombarding the pursuing Secrets with a LOT of missiles.

With the lack of Trapar under them, the Nirvash had fallen to the ground with the blue IFO standing in front of them. The radar identified it as the "RA164 Alleluia" and the other one as the "RA301 Kyrie." Ao noticed a Com window pop up and responded, switching to visual communication this time. An image of a helmeted female pilot appeared on their screens.

Fleur, on the other hand, was quite surprised to get not one, but two feeds showing two different people. That couldn't be right, but both signals were coming from the same machine, at least according to her IFO's computers they were.

"Eh? Is it a malfunction, or are there two pilots in the same machine?" she inquired, curious as to how this situation had come up in the first place.

The boy with the blue hair and violet eyes responded first. "It would take longer than we have to explain everything to you. Yes, the Nirvash has two pilot's seats," he said, sighing.

"Right... Well, anyway, what were you thinking fighting within the Z.O.A.?!" she chastised.

"Z.O.A.?" the two questioned in unison. Fleur thought it was kind of cute.

"Zone out of Action. It's the area around the Secret. IFOs remain undetectable for less than half of a minute before it becomes aware of our presence and starts attacking again. We don't typically fight in the Z.O.A. because of how dangerous it is to get close. Did you really come into combat without knowing even that?"

"We didn't have a choice! It'll destroy the island if we don't act!" It was the girl this time. She had black hair and... bright, lavender eyes? _'How mysterious...'_

"Well, we should have it covered, so why don't you two hang back for now?"

"Actually," Elena said, popping up on the Com Screen, "We... kind of... need... their help... Too much... cannon... fodder." She was twisting through the air in all different directions to avoid the little ones while firing at them with her cannons. It took a great deal of her concentration, leaving her with little time to speak.

The... Nirvash stood up behind her and the blue-haired boy spoke once again, "We couldn't get a clear shot at that thing before because of the little ones. If you can distract them, we can get in close and destroy that thing before it reaches the Scub Coral."

She was, once again, surprised. The boy's plan had some sense to it, but they would only work as the spearhead if their weapons were strong enough. "Georg?"

"We've run through the data, and it looks like his plan is completely feasible. The main weapons of the Nirvash are rail rifles. The closer they are to the target, the more force will be exuded on the target, and thus the more damage will be done," Georg said from the OS.

"Alright, do it," Ivica said.

"What? You're trusting the lives of the children to the idea of some rookie pilot that just so happened to climb into an IFO?!" Rebecka said angrily.

"Don't you remember the most important thing during one of our missions?"

"Huh?"

"My number one priority is: Don't let the children die. Right now, I see the boy's plan as the best way to carry out that priority."

Rebecka sat back down, having no counter to his argument. She was slightly ashamed of herself for even momentarily losing faith in Ivica.

Upon receiving confirmation from her commander, Fleur flipped her visor back down and started her engines back up.

"By the way, you two," she said, "My name is Fleur Blanc and I'm from Génération Bleu's IFO team, Pied Piper. Who are you guys?"

"I'm Ao Fukai," the boy replied indifferently.

"'Deep Blue?' Seriously?"

He lowered his eyebrows and frowned at her.

His companion laughed and introduced herself as well, "I'm Naru Arata. We're both just residents of this island."

"Yet you can pilot that IFO proficiently?" she asked, skeptical.

"I've been able to fly an FP since I was six, and the controls are similar enough. We should move on though, or your partner might kill us herself," Ao said passively while brushing off the fact that Naru hadn't had any experience with FPs. He had to remember to ask about that later.

"Alright, but be careful, you two," she said seriously, "I won't accept failure from either of you with this much at stake."

With that said, the two IFOs launched into the air, the Alleluia speeding off to join the Kyrie and the Nirvash hanging high in the air, mounting its rifles and waiting for the right moment. The two Gen. Bleu pilots were curving through the air with much grace and prowess showing off the skills they had gained throughout their years of combat. They both fired of their cannons destroying countless enemies all while dodging the shots and slashes from the others. It was a truly remarkable sight to behold for the two pilots.

"I've outlined the path for you to take," Fleur said over the radio, "Be sure to take it out in a few seconds, before the enemy notices you!"

"Ao, it's time to make our move."

Shaking the sight of the two machines out of his head, Ao joined Naru in executing a downward dive, straight for the top of the creature. They matched each other near perfectly as they landed hard on the smooth surface, reattaching the halves of the Lift-Board to the machine's shoulders. Then, with a fierce cry, they pointed the rifles downward and fired. Continuing to fire, the two accelerated down the spine of the creature using the wheels on the Nirvash's feet. Once they reached the other end, they threw the recombined board into the air and leapt from the creature, leaving it riddled with bullet holes. The three IFOs flew a great distance away as the sky lit up again with the explosion of the creature, its absence rendering all other Secrets in the area inert.

**Iwato Island Central Clinic**

"Dr. Fukai?" a voice asked from behind him.

Toshio had recently finished treating the last of the patients from last night's attack and he was now sitting behind a desk, resting. Suffice to say, he was not happy to receive visitors at the moment, but he put on his best face and stood to greet the approaching pair. In front of him, he saw a stocky man with orange hair and a moustache and a young woman with her dark red hair tied back into a messy arrangement. They were both wearing the same uniform of black pants and a red jacket over a dress shirt.

"What do you want? I'm afraid I must return to my home soon and wait for news on my son," He said, wearily.

"I'm Ivica Tanović and this is Rebecka Hallström. We are from Génération Bleu, and your son is actually the reason we're here," the orange-haired man replied, getting straight to the point.

"What do you want with him?" he asked, eyes narrowing behind his glasses, "Are you here to take him away? ...to force him to leave his home?"

"Whether he wants to leave is entirely his choice. Right now, I want merely to ask... Is he the son of Eureka?"

Toshio was momentarily startled. In all of the years he had kept the boy under his roof, no one from outside the island had ever come to ask about the boy or his parentage even after that event all of those years ago. He knew this day would come eventually, but he didn't expect it so soon.

"He is. What of it?" Toshio responded, not at all liking where this conversation was going.

"Then we'll need you to come with us," the woman named Rebecka said, "The machine he and the girl were piloting landed on a nearby beach. We intend to meet up with him."

"So that was him after all, huh?" Toshio replied before lowering his eyebrows, "but what is this about a girl?"

"One of our pilots reported the machine to have had two seats, one of which was occupied by a girl with black hair and dressed in white clothing."

"That sounds like Naru... If that's the case, then we should depart immediately."

"Doctor Fukai?"

"If the girl is who I think she is, then she has a dangerous lung disease. There's no telling what kind of effect piloting that machine could have on her. We should get her father and leave immediately."

"Ah, well then let us be off."

Then the three of them swiftly departed.

**Iwato Island Coast (Scub Coral Site)**

Gazelle and his pals stood on the edge of the cliff face. They had been watching the battle from nearby the Scub Coral, and it had been just their luck to come across some new information.

"The Scub Coral is growing at a steady rate," Han said from his computer screen. "That's not the only thing. Look at this," Gazelle said, holding his tablet up and zooming in on a crevice situated in the center of the Scub Coral.

On the screen, Gen. Bleu's IFOs were shown lifting something out of the Coral. "What in the world are they doing?" Zooming in closer, he caught a glimpse of the object the machines were lifting. It appeared to be some sort of glowing green cube with shapes extending outward from its faces.

"Hey... that's the same material that was covering the ECU," Han said, leaning in closer.

"It looks like things are getting interesting," Gazelle said putting the tablet down, "An International Rescue Squad taking mysterious actions behind the scenes."

"What does that mean for us, Boss?" Pippo asked, folding his arms, "Do you want to pursue this?"

"As much as I would like to keep fighting for independence here on the islands, the world is of bigger concern at the moment. If we let those G-Monsters keep running around, there won't be an Okinawan Union for much longer. I say we follow that kid."

"I'll follow you to the end, Boss," Pippo said, "You know that."

"Good to have you on my side. What about you, Han?"

"I'm concerned about what that green material is, and I want to find out more about it. I'll follow you as well," Han said, his hand on his hips.

"Well then, it looks like we'll be joining one of the world's largest and most important companies. This will be interesting."

**Iwato Island Coast**

The Nirvash sat upon the beach, now in its third configuration: a land vehicle resembling something like a mix between a tank and a race car. The cockpit was open and its two pilots were sitting near its front, resting after the battle.

"Can you hear it?" Ao asked his fellow pilot, holding her hand to the cool surface of the Nirvash's armor, "Can you hear his voice?"

Naru closed her eyes, focusing, and listening quietly. After what they had witnessed in the Scub and in the battle, she was willing to believe Ao's claims that this robot was somehow alive. She did feel a foreign presence in her mind. At the moment it was a small feeling, but she could definitely feel emotions that did not belong to her.

_'Joy. Pure, innocent joy. That's what I feel, or rather HE feels.'_

"Ao! Naru!"

The two of them stood up and turned around to see both Toshio and Mitsuo, with Noah holding on to his back, approaching along with two others in uniform. The prior went to check on Naru, while the latter pulled Ao aside to speak with him.

"Fukai Ao? I heard about you from Fleur and Elena," the man with orange hair said to him, "I'm Ivica Tanović, the chief of Pied Piper."

"So, you're from Gen. Bleu? Your job is to fight the Secrets?" Ao asked, knowing the true reason this man was here.

"Yes. I've been searching all around the world for a woman with the same hair color as you, the same one who piloted this IFO years ago," the man said, turning to the Nirvash, "It's been such a long time since I've seen it. It almost feels like I'm looking at an old friend..."

Ao's eyes widened at that. _'An old friend of mother's? Could these people really help me find her?' _he thought, not willing to let this opportunity slip by.

"If you knew my mother, then what can you tell me about her?" Ao inquired, eager to learn anything more about her.

"Ah, I lost myself for a moment didn't I?" he replied, "I'm sorry, and as for your mother, I can't tell you much, I'm afraid. I didn't know her for very long before she disappeared."

"Oh..."

"Ao, I have something to tell you," Toshio interjected, having affirmed Naru's health, "Ten years ago, your mother went to challenge the Scub Burst and never returned from the incident. On the day that she left, she told me to take care of you if something happened to her. I fear that the same thing will happen to you if you continue to ride that machine, so I-"

"I remember," Ao interrupted, Naru coming to stand at his side, "I remember that morning very clearly. It was the last time I saw her face, same as you, Grandfather." He took out the picture that was stuffed in the pocket of his hoodie and ran his hand over it. "I don't know anything about her or about myself, but..." He looked back up at Ivica. "I want to follow her path. If I continue to pilot the Nirvash, then I may be able to find her. Will you let me join Génération Bleu?"

Ivica stared at the kid with a hard look on his face, deliberating. If he said yes, then yet another child would be dragged into a dangerous conflict, but he also had every right to follow this path and find his family. After a moment, he closed his eyes and nodded.

"Are you sure about this, Chief?" Rebecka asked.

"I am. It's his right to want to fight. All we can do now is to keep him safe."

Mitsuo, who had been standing aside for the entire exchange, suddenly said, "Yes, this will also help to quell the islander's fear and anger. The people will feel more comfortable if he is gone."

"Father," Naru spoke cautiously, "I'm going with him... to fight by his side."

"What?! Absolutely not!"

"You can't stop me. No matter how hard you try to keep me from it, I will fight to the end to go with him," Naru said defiantly, staring right into his eyes.

Mitsuo was taken aback, not only at the fact that his own daughter had just refused him, but that the look she was giving him reminded him eerily of his late wife.

"You would go so far for this... this OUTSIDER!" he exclaimed angrily, not one to give up so easily.

"HE'S NO DIFFERENT FROM US!" she practically screamed at him.

He took a step forward to attempt to grab her arm, but before he could, a gigantic hand slammed down in front of him, knocking him back and onto the ground. Everyone looked to see that, despite the fact that its cockpit was empty, the Nirvash had extended the arm that was now separating Naru from her father; its head was also raised slightly, revealing a glowing green eye staring threateningly at the man. Ao could feel the anger radiating from Nirvash even without touching him.

"Ivica," he said, catching the orange haired man's attention, "I don't think Nirvash will move unless Naru comes along."

They both turned back to the argument as Naru stepped from behind the Nirvash's hand to resume speaking to her father who rose to his feet.

"Why can't you understand..." she said weakly, tears in her eyes, "...that I have to go with him. I can't just let him leave alone when I know I could have gone with him and fought alongside him."

"But Naru..." he said softly, "What about your disease?" He was desperate for anything that could keep her there. He had already lost his wife to this conflict, and he didn't want to send his daughter off to her end.

"Haven't you noticed yet, Father?" she said, suddenly smiling, "The disease is gone. I haven't had any trouble breathing for these past few days. I even lost my Breather."

Mitsuo's eyes widened at this statement, but he couldn't deny its accuracy. In the time that he had seen her over the past three days, she had shown no signs of having difficulty breathing and he hadn't seen her use the Breather even once. Plus, the car crash, the running, the IFO piloting, etc. should have caused her to collapse, but she came out of all of it just fine. His mind had noticed it, but he had so many other things to think about, at the time, that he himself hadn't noticed.

He felt torn. His daughter wasn't going to die an early death due to a lethal disease, but now she wanted to leave to join a battle that might lead to her end anyway. He wanted so badly to refuse her, to keep her there on the island and safe from all the dangers of the world, but he knew that it wouldn't work. She was too much like her mother, too stubborn to change her mind. He knew he was going to have to let her go.

"I want you to promise me that you'll be careful and that you'll write to us when you can. Alright?" he said, sighing in defeat.

"I promise," she returned, hugging him, "I love you, Father. I'll miss you."

"I love you too," he said, as the Nirvash retracted its arm and returned to its idle position behind him.

"I'll transfer legal guardianship over to you guys when I get back," he said to Ivica, "I suspect you guys have to be off in a hurry, so I'll pass on the news."

"If there are any medical problems, we'll send her back right away. Also… I'd give my life to protect the children. Your daughter is in good hands," Ivica replied, giving his best reassuring look.

"Do we really have to leave so soon?" Naru asked after releasing her father, "I'd like to say goodbye to my sister and grandmother."

"As much as we would like to give you that opportunity, we need to let our other children rest. This is our second call today, so they're probably exhausted. We need to head back to HQ as soon as possible," Rebecka said sympathetically, "We'll allow you to send a VidCom later, but that's the best we can do."

Ao put a hand on Naru's shoulder and said, "It'll be alright. You'll see them again in no time." She looked up and gave him a sad smile.

"Let's begin loading the Nirvash onto the Triton," Ivica said, watching as his ship landed nearby.

**A/N:**

**You know, I said I was going to write in the intro to G****énération Bleu in this chapter, but I'm already pushing the word limit here and it works better if I just put it in the next chapter. Instead, I put my effort into writing and rewriting different parts of the fight with the Secret and writing the scene where he decides to leave the island. I'm still not entirely happy with that fight scene and I'll probably rewrite it later. Also, for those who wanted to know, members from the original E7 cast will be showing up in later chapters. Not all of them, of course, but I'll include more than just the main two characters instead of assuming that everyone else died like the anime wanted me to. As always, if you have a suggestion, send it to me and please point out any grammar and spelling mistakes so I can correct them.**


	7. Just Another Part of the Family

**Disclaimer: This series and its characters belong to BONES Animation Studios**

"Speech"/_'Thoughts'_

**Unspecified Location:**

"Who are you..." the worker groaned out, falling to the ground in pain. Before him was his attacker, a weasely looking man with black hair; he was also wearing a suit and glasses. He had been working on the reparations when the man had come up to him and pointed his finger directly at the worker's chest. Before he could say anything, there was a hole directly where the man had been pointing.

"Who am I? I'm no one," The man said before his entire being expanded and contracted in place, morphing into a completely different shape. Where an unfavorable looking man had once been, now stood a desirable, violet-haired woman in a revealing red dress. She kneeled to remove the man's pocketbook from his breast pocket before standing back up.

Opening it, she laughed and said, "I'm just like you... I am one who seeks the truth." The man had been a typical journalist, sticking his nose where it didn't belong. He hadn't gathered much information, but still he had to be silenced to ensure her safety.

The woman raised her head to look at horizon beyond. _'It really is a beautiful view...Too bad this land will be covered in flames soon enough,' _she thought, chuckling to herself.

**Génération Bleu Battleship Triton (Switzerland; En Route to Gen. Bleu Headquarters)**

The four pilots were sitting in the crew lounge, attempting to get to know each other a little better. Ao and Naru, Noah in arm, were sitting casually on one side of the table, while, on the other side, Fleur was resting her head against her arm, which was propped up on the table, and Elena was leaning back and smiling at whatever was on the screen of her tablet that she was holding in front of her. In the short time that they had known each other, Ao had surmised that, while cold, Fleur was friendly enough, however, her pink-haired partner was a little... out there...

"I'm Elena Peoples. You two should contract with me and become members of Pied Piper, you know~" she had said, not really paying attention to the situation at hand.

"Is there... Is there something wrong with her?" Naru asked cautiously, not wanting to upset either of them. Ao's confused expression mirrored her own.

"Don't worry about her. She's always like this," Fleur replied, eyes half-open, "We should be arriving soon, so get ready to unload your stuff." Though she seemed disinterested, she was actually just tired at having to fight two battles in such quick succession. She was sure that Elena was also tired, but the energetic girl was much better at hiding it.

Before more could be said, the metallic grates covering the windows slid open to reveal their destination. Outside, Ao and Naru saw a colossal facility built into a mountainside and surrounded by various, equally large upcroppings of Scub Coral.

"Whoa! THIS is your headquarters?" Ao asked, joining Naru in gazing at the titanic structure.

"Génération Bleu is a lot more than just a rescue service or a private arms group. Our HQ is built on the former city of Lauterbrunnen," Fleur said, smiling at the children's reaction to what was such common occurrence to her, "Tourism isn't as big as it once was, but we still get a lot of people on the Jungfrau."

The two children continued to stare out the windows until only the gray walls of the main hanger were visible.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (President's Office)**

"Do you know what kind of political debacle we're in right now?" Stanley asked heatedly, "Do you know that we have SENTINELS on our backs now? They want the Mark 1 back for God knows what military experiment they have going on and I had to refuse them. Do you know the amount of stress has been put on my back over the past 12 hours?" The man rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"Yes, I know, and I apologize, but you know that we can't just hand the Mark 1 back to the Allied Forces," Christophe replied from behind his desk, holding his hands up, "That machine has been the most effective weapon we've had against the Secrets up to this point, especially with 'that woman' as the pilot. Now that we have both it and her son, we can't afford to lose it."

"Of course I realize that. I'm just concerned at how the PR will react to this," Stanley replied, sighing again, "Big Blue World is likely to side with the Allied Forces and SENTINELS seeing as they are both institutions of their home country. We've already stretched relations with the company enough without this..."

"We'll be fine. We haven't done anything that falls outside of the company's policies or general orders, and even if SENTINELS wants the Mark 1, they can't take it from us legally. The changes made to it during the battle on Iwato Jima allowed us to sign ownership of the machine to the boy and his friend," Christophe replied, retaining his smile, "The Allied Forces can't prove that they hold ownership over that version of the machine, so they can't take possession of it."

"I know, I know," Stanley said, turning to leave the room, "just be careful. You're treading very thin water right now and one false step could cause us to lose everything." He passed a secretary on his way out the door.

"Sir, the men who requested employment are here to see you," she said, "and after that, you're wanted in the medical examination area. Our new recruits have arrived and are undergoing observation right now."

"Bring in our potential employees. I want to speak to them first."

The woman nodded and left the room. After a moment, she returned with three moderately well-dressed men trailing behind her. At the lead was a thin man with wild-black hair followed by a man of equal proportion with navy blue hair and a muscular man wearing sunglasses with no discernable hairstyle. All three looked confident enough, with only a hint of nerves showing on their faces.

"Ah, how wonderful to finally meet you in person!" Christophe exclaimed cheerfully, standing up to greet them, "Mr. Gazelle and his associates Han and Pippo, correct? I'm President Christophe Blanc at your service."

"Ah, y-yes we were hoping that we could enter the employment of your company if possible," Gazelle responded, momentarily off-put by the man's cheery nature.

"Why of course it's possible; you're already hired."

"Huh! Just like that? Shouldn't you ask us questions or review our resumes or something?"

"No need," he said, still smiling, "I've already thoroughly reviewed your backgrounds. You three are in the business of smuggling and information gathering. You're quite good at it too, I must say. A few of our subsidiaries have had complaints about loss of property, and after checking your 'job experience,' it wasn't too hard to identify you as the cause."

Gazelle let out a nervous laugh, scratching his head, before he realized something. "Are you blackmailing us?!"

Blanc shook his head, sitting back down. "No, you're free to go if you wish. I merely wanted you to know that you have the proper qualifications for the job, and if you can prove yourselves, I can trust you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go down and meet our two new pilots."

Blanc got up and began to leave. "You'll soon receive you're first assignment from myself or one of my other employees. Good day to you." He walked out the door and into the hall.

"What an odd man," Han said, raising an eyebrow, "Do you think he's playing us?"

"No," Gazelle replied, raising a hand, "He's just eccentric. I get the feeling that he really needs people like us working for him and we're just the best he's come across."

"Isn't that being a little overconfident?"

"Heh, when you know you're the best, why deny it?" Gazelle laughed as Han and Pippo scratched the backs of their heads.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Medical Examination Area)**

'_A medical examination, huh...' _Ao thought. He was sitting back-to-back with Naru on an observation table, scanners attached to both of their chests, and he could see his fellow pilots along with Ivica and a doctor looking in on him from a window in front of them.

'_I guess I don't really blame them considering this...' _he thought as he touched the turquoise strands of hair hanging over his forehead. Suddenly, he felt Naru's fingers interlace with his own as she proceeded to grip his hand tightly. He turned his gaze to meet her dark brown eyes over his shoulder.

"No one will hold it against you. No one," she declared, her voice firm, "and even if everyone else turned against you, I would still be there by your side. So don't worry about it, okay?"

"Uh y-yeah," he replied, blushing a little. How she had known what he had been feeling was beyond him, but he took comfort in her words. As long as she was there with him, he felt like he didn't need to worry about what others would think of him.

The doctor cleared his throat over the intercom catching the pair's attention. "I'll say again, I detect no abnormalities. You're both perfectly healthy," he said.

The two pilots were pulling the scanners off when the door to the room suddenly opened and a man with brown hair wearing a suit and glasses walked into the room. Fleur visibly grimaced at the sight of him.

"Ah, these must be our new recruits. Welcome to Génération Bleu! I'm President Blanc," the man stated with jollity.

The pair was stunned into silence by the sudden appearance and subsequent declaration of the man allowing him to continue.

"I must admit, I wasn't expecting to find anyone capable of piloting an IFO out there, let alone two pilots that work together," Blanc said, smiling cheerfully at the both of them, "It can be hard to hold that kind of responsibility. If there should be anything on your minds, feel free to think of me as a father that you can talk to. I'll listen to anything you have to say."

Blanc quickly noticed the downcast looks on both of the children's faces in response to his words. "Is something the matter?"

The boy was the one who responded. "It's- It's nothing, I just... don't exactly have the best image of a 'father.'"

Fleur had had enough. "Elena, I'm going on ahead," she stated, making for the exit as her partner called after her, "You... You have no right to act like a father...!"

Blanc, whose attention had been drawn by Fleur's outburst, turned back to the children. "I apologize for that. We were in the middle of a conversation weren't we?" he said calmly before turning to the window, "Elena."

"Y-Yes sir?" she said, flustered.

"If there's nothing you're doing at the moment, would you mind showing these two around the facility as a guide?"

"No... I don't mind..."

"Do we really need a guide?" Naru asked

"I wouldn't underestimate the size of our headquarters. We house thousands of employees and citizens as well as hundreds of businesses. We built this base on top of a city after all."

The two completed their examination and headed off with Elena after which Blanc headed into the monitoring room to see the results of said examination along with Ivica. "What did you find?"

"My findings were... interesting to say the least," the doctor replied looking intrigued.

"What can you tell me about them?"

"Well, within the boy, we found similar results to those we found in his mother," he said while pulling up two scans of the same body parts on his holographic screens on the walls. He proceeded to shift through different parts of the body as he said, "There are still significant differences in DNA between him and a normal human, but he shows even more human traits than his mother did, while keeping most of her exclusive abilities. In other words, he's a perfect hybrid between a human and whatever his mother was."

"He really carries all of the same traits as his mother?"

"Yes, his eyes are capable of seeing beyond the visible light spectrum and into the infrared and UV, and his lungs have the same orifices that generate Trapar, though in lesser amounts than his mother, and lastly he has the same growth in his neural and cerebral areas. There are also additional growths that I've not been able to determine the cause or purpose of..."

"What do you mean? Why?"

"Well, there seems to be abnormal growth in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with analyzation and social interaction. His physiology seems to be changing in that area, but I don't know how or why. Unfortunately, I can't tell you any more than that."

Blanc lowered his head in thought. _'What could be the cause of these changes?'_

"What about the girl?" It was Ivica who spoke this time.

"Now she was the truly interesting part," the doctor replied, pulling up a couple of views of the girl's body.

"This is a view of her body at 4 years old," he said, pointing to one of the diagrams, "In this view, she is completely normal and free of abnormalities."

He pulled up another view before continuing. "This is a view of her body later that year. This is a couple of months after the Okinawan Scub Burst. As you can see here, there were many abnormal growths in here cerebellum, presumably because of the high amount of Trapar in the area during the event. She was even marked as a 'subject of interest' by SENTINELS until they discovered this..." He zoomed in on the area of the lungs. "Her lungs were greatly damaged by the event. Her ability to breath was greatly inhibited and she was removed from the recommendations list."

"...and now? What does her body look like now? Why is she able to use that machine so effectively?"

"That's the interesting thing," the doctor said, pulling up another diagram, "This is what her body looks like now."

Blanc looked the screen in surprise, gripping the edges of the desk. "What is this...?" On the screen, several areas of her body were lit up, showing various areas of abnormal growth.

"We're detecting foreign growths on the areas of her lungs, spinal cord, and cerebrum. The growths seem to be repairing the damage done to her lungs and is also enlarging the amygdala region of her brain, which is responsible for instinctive action. We're also showing growths in the prefrontal cerebral cortex, which is responsible for predictions. The DNA of the foreign bodies looks to be a variant of that which we find in Scub Coral, but with more human traits. The closest comparison would be the DNA we found in the boy."

"So, what does this mean for her?"

"Her cells appear to be accepting and uniting with the Scub cells somehow. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. Her entire physiology is changing somehow, morphing to suit unforeseen scenario. In any case, I'd advise against telling her for the time being... at least until we know how these changes will affect her system. If you'll permit, I'd like to have her in for weekly check-ups to monitor the progress these mutations."

"Granted, though we'll have to include the boy to make a likely story. We don't want them getting suspicious." Christophe sighed. _'Things just keep getting more and more confusing.'_

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Shopping District)**

"So... you mind telling us what we're doing here?" Ao asked, slightly annoyed at the current situation.

The trio were standing in the middle of a manga shop while Elena was sifting through the shelves, apparently searching for something.

"Sorry, sorry. I just wanted to check out the new edition. Oh! There's a new section this month!" Elena answered with excitement.

"Eh, That so?" Ao sighed. No one in this organization seemed to take anything seriously and it was really bugging him.

Elena lowered her head. "You know, I'm kind of like you..."

"Huh?"

"My parents disappeared when I was very young. I haven't seen a hint of them since. The organization tells me they'll keep looking, but... so far, they haven't found a thing."

Ao felt for her, but he was distracted by something. For the first time he had looked directly at her eyes and found them to be… violet? He had thought that the pink hair was odd, but he had assumed that it was dyed. Now he wasn't so sure. _'Could she really be like me…?'_

"I'm so sorry," Naru comforted her, placing hand on her shoulder and bringing Ao back to reality, "My mother is dead and I don't get along very well with my own father. I share your pain..."

Elena's eyes widened for a second before her lips curved upward. "Really? Well, if that's the case, then I think you'll get along very well with a certain someone."

"A certain someone...?"

Before Elena could elaborate, they heard a cry from outside. Looking out the window, the trio saw a group of girls with Noah clinging to one of the girls' chest outside the shop and subsequently ran outside to catch her. "It's a sloth!"

"Noah!" Naru yelled. Noah, noticing her owner running towards her, jumped from the girl and her two companions back to Naru, almost knocking her over. The three girls, who were all wearing uniforms identical to Elena's, just stared at the group until the one Noah had been clinging to said, "You two... You're Fukai Ao and Arata Naru aren't you?"

"Who are they?" inquired the girl wearing glasses beside her.

"What? You haven't heard? These two were the ones who defeated a Secret within the Z.O.A.! They're our new rookie pilots."

"They were also able to pilot that Mark 1, and apparently they had to keep track of each other's movements just as much as the enemy's. Our mechanics were talking about how impressive it was for a couple of civilians who've never been trained," stated the third and shortest girl, being around half the size of everyone else, walking up to them with her hands on her hips.

"Ah... Not to sound rude, but who are you three exactly?" Ao asked tactlessly.

"Hm... We're Team Goldilocks, one of Gen. Bleu's other IFO teams," the little one answered. "I'm Chloe McCaffrey," she said pointing to herself; "That's my older sister Maeve," she said, referring to the long-haired girl wearing glasses; "and that over there is Maggie Kwan," she said referring to the girl with short black hair who Noah had been clinging to.

"Ah... it's nice to meet you all..."

Silence and stares.

Naru looked over at Elena, who looked to be more interested in her newly bought Manga than what was going on in front of her, before asking, "You let people this young pilot IFOs?"

Elena just shrugged. "It's been proven by several established scientists that we're the only ones who can do this. The Secrets constantly change tactics and manoeuvers and we children are the only ones with a high enough reaction time to counter that. Being our youngest pilot makes her even more suited for the job."

"That's right, you guys may be on the ace team, but you've just joined and that makes me your Senpai!" Chloe exclaimed, haughtily.

"That may be true," Elena jeered, leaning down and poking the younger girl's nose, "but you're still just a kid."

"I am not a kid!"

"Well, what do we have here?" an unfamiliar voice interjected, marking the approach of a humongous, bald man with a thick, bushy moustache. Upon seeing this man drawing near, Chloe ran over to hug him. "Bruno! Pied Piper are teasing me!"

"Now Elena, you're not being mean to other girls are you?" the newly christened Bruno asked.

"Nah, I'm just making fun. Sorry Chloe," she returned, nodding to the younger pilot who nodded in response, "Anyway, the President asked me to show our new recruits around the base."

Bruno looked over at Ao and Naru. He placed a hand over Ao's shoulders and drew him into a hug as well much to the boy's surprise.

"Ah, welcome to Génération Bleu, but..." He pulled Ao close and quietly said, "It would be best if you and the girl went back to your homes... before you make your loved ones sad."

Ao was stunned momentarily, but thought to himself, _'He's probably right, but I can't go back now; I made a promise to protect the Scub and to fight for the people of the island. Yes… I must stay here.'_

"Now then," Bruno said, pulling away and turning to the Goldilocks' pilots, "A Scub Burst has occurred off a Cape in Colombia. We must be off before the next Secret arrives."

As the four walked away, Ao turned to Elena. "What about us? Shouldn't we be going as well?"

"No," she said, "We rotate teams so that the others can rest. Goldilocks got the order this time, so we should be fine. It's a shame that the company never got around to building that team for our base in America. Oh well… What can you do when a private military firm steals your funds?"

Naru walked up to his side as Elena continued to rant. "What did he say to you back there? You seemed distressed for a bit."

"Huh? Oh, you mean Bruno? He said that we should leave… that we would make our family and friends sad if we continued on this path." Ao shook his head. "I'm not going to leave, though. I made a promise to fight and… I want to find Mother."

Naru closed her eyes and smiled. "That's just like you, isn't it? Well, I'm not leaving either. I also made a promise that I intend to keep…"

Before more could be said, Elena wrapped her arms around both of their necks from behind. "You two are so cute~" she exclaimed causing the pair to blush and look away. "Anyway, let's head over to the Residential Area. I'm so tired, I can't see straight."

**Génération Bleu Battleship Medon (Colombian Airspace; Scub Coral Arrival Site)**

It had been a few hours since the team had departed from the base and they were quite close to the Scub Coral now. Despite the lack of any signs of the appearance of a Secret, they couldn't let their guard down. A hurricane was whipping up in the area and they would have to fly dangerously close to it in order to collect the Quartz.

The team's crew chief Bruno Hans sat on the bridge, contemplating the situation. It seemed a little suspicious to him and he had to act carefully. He wholeheartedly shared Ivica's mantra: don't let the children die no matter the cost. The appearance of this hurricane had him on edge.

"What's the current situation?" he heard Blanc talking to him through the communications channel and responded, "There's no sign of any Secrets in the area. It's rare for them to take this long, but… What really has me concerned is the hurricane that's brewing in the area."

"Go ahead and proceed to the Scub Coral. If we complete this operation quickly enough, we may not have to deal with a Secret at all."

"Alright. We'll go ahead with the Quartz recovery," Chloe said through the com. channel.

"Be careful, you three. I have a bad feeling about this mission," Bruno responded, watching his monitors for any sign of activity.

Chloe turned her light orange and white Requiem to match the rotation of the hurricane along with her sister's light blue and white Gloria and Maggie's light red and white Credo. She sighed, disappointed with the mission so far. She had been hoping to outshine the newbie pilots by fighting in the Z.O.A. Even if her job was mainly acquiring targeting vectors and payload retrieval, she still didn't like the idea of a couple of rookie pilots showing up and outperforming her on the first day. It upset the balance of things as far as she was concerned.

'_If those two can do it, then so can I!' _she thought. Suddenly, a gigantic object emerged from the clouds in front of them. It was moving so fast that they almost didn't have time to react; she veered to the right, desperately trying to avoid the incoming projectile. Just barely evading death, she looked at her view screen to see that her comrades had done the same. Breathing a sigh of relief, she attempted to contact the Medon.

Bruno strained to hear the girls voices over the static that was coming through the com. channel. Most of what he heard was surprised yelling, but he could just barely make out Chloe's voice in the middle of it. "Bru… It… Secr… We… help!" The message was very broken up, but he caught the meaning and contacted HQ. "This is the Medon. We've confirmed that a Secret is present at the arrival site and is within the hurricane. Requesting Emergency Assistance!"

"Sir!" his communications officer exclaimed from his right, "I've lost the signal for all three of the IFOs. I believe that they might have entered the Z.O.A. since attacking the Secret from outside the hurricane would be impossible. I lost their readings right outside its outer wall."

"If that's the case, then we need to go in after them. We can't afford to let them die," he stated, pointing forward towards the hurricane, "Helmsmen! Take us in!"

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (IFO Hangers)**

"Hey, Ivica!"

Ivica turned around, to meet the visage of Alexander Boyle, the company's chief mechanic in charge of maintenance for both the battleships and IFOs. By this point he was a master of identifying even the slightest problem with a machine and correcting it in a way that maximizes efficiency. Without him, they would probably be in a lot worse shape than they were.

"Alexander. You have the report on the Nirvash, I'm guessing?"

Boyle shook his head. "No, there's a problem with that. We've managed to pierce the outer armor of the lower limbs and that all checks out fine, actually better than we could have hoped, but whenever we try to go beyond that to the main body… Well, there's some sort of inner armor that we can't seem to bypass. We've tried using all known forms of cutting, but we can't get through it. Every time we make a cut, it just sews itself back together. My team and I are baffled."

Ivica sighed, his hand meeting his forehead. Everything about those two was perplexing and it was beginning to get to him. "Is there anything you CAN tell me?"

"Yes. The Third Engine is gone."

Ivica's head snapped back up. "What?!"

"The Third Engine isn't there anymore. We tried to do the link-up, but we're not getting any readings for it. The machine is still capable of self-generating Trapar based on the footage from Okinawa, but it's not coming from a Third Engine."

Ivica was about to say more but was interrupted by his mobile. Bringing it up opening the line, he saw Blanc's face on the screen. He had a grim look. "Ivica, I need you up here in the Command Room. There's a problem with the mission," Blanc said before closing the line.

He looked back up at Boyle. "Don't do anything too damaging to the Nirvash. We need it in top shape for combat, but… find out what you can."

"Will do," the man replied before departing. Ivica peered over the railing at the enigmatic machine for a moment before departing himself.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Command and Analysis Room)**

Ivica walked in to see everyone frantically working and static on the main monitor. Blanc looked down from his work station to him. "Ivica, there's a problem. We've lost all contact with the Medon. Its current position and status, as well as those of the Goldilocks' pilots, are unknown."

"There was a Secret after all?"

"Yes, it was hiding in the hurricane. We don't know much about it, but we've managed to capture a single image before the communications cut out."

Ivica turned his head to look at the image on the screen. There were lines of static all around the border, but in the center was clear. A titanic black and red creature shaped somewhat like a… swing carousel was clearly visible on the monitor.

"How's your team?" Stanley asked from his right.

"They should be asleep right now. Don't tell me you're actually considering putting them on the mission. What about Harlequin? Surely they can take care of this?"

"Unfortunately, the Poseidon is on the other side of the world right now. By the time the Proteus arrived, they might already have died. We need your team, Ivica."

Ivica contemplated for a moment before coming to a decision. "Alright, I'll wake them, but they better get the appropriate rest before you send them on the next assignment. They deserve it after three battles in a row."

"Agreed, and I'm sure Hannah won't mind picking up the slack for a while."

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Residential Area)**

Comfortable Darkness and Peaceful Warmth.

Blinding Light.

Ao jerked awake and registered Naru in front of him with a hand on his shoulder. "It's about time you got up. I had to get Georg to open the door for me," she said, exasperated, drawing back her hand. He then heard another noise. The sound of his mobile ringing brought him back to reality. He had been arranging his stuff in his new apartment in the housing district and he had sat down on a chair to take a break. _'Guess I was more tired than I thought, huh…'_

Naru, in the meantime, was talking through her own mobile. "Yes, Chief, I got him up… Yes we'll head over there immediately," she said before canceling the line, "Come on, Goldilocks is in trouble and we've been called to help them." She began to walk toward the door.

"Wait! What happened to them? Do you know?"

"The only thing I know is that they've lost contact with them. Now, hurry up! Fleur and Elena are waiting for us!" she said, walking out the door and leaving him stunned. He just sat there for a moment before he realized he should probably get going.

"Hey! Wait up!"

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (IFO Hangers; Locker Room)**

Fleur and Elena had already begun changing by the time the pair had arrived. They looked less energetic than usual; their hair being slightly messier than usual and their makeup being looking as if it was hurriedly applied. Paying it no mind, Ao and Naru quickly put on a couple of spare white and blue pilot suits as the tailors hadn't finished their actual suits yet. By the time they were finished, Ivica had walked in to discuss the mission.

"Alright, you four, our main priority remains to be the retrieval of the Quartz and the elimination of the Secret. We still don't know the current status of the Goldilocks' team members, but our orders are to locate them and render assistance if we can. You two," he said, pointing to Ao and Naru, "We've got a couple of hours until we arrive so you'll be getting a crash course in basic piloting and tactics. When we get there, I want you to be ready to fight and if you aren't, I'll put you on standby and you can sit this one out. It's your choice."

They both nodded. It wasn't like there was much else they could do. They both acknowledged the fact that the other two had more experience and tactical prowess, having actually received training and having fought many battles before they'd come. These were all steps that they would take during their time in the company and they would just have to deal with this small intro for now.

"We depart in twenty minutes. Don't be late." He turned around and walked through the door to the boarding tunnel, and was quickly followed by Fleur and Elena. The pair was about to follow when Ao heard a voice he never thought he would hear again in so short a time. "Ao! Naru! Glad we made it here before you have to leave."

The two swiveled on their feet in surprise. Standing before them was none other than Gazelle's group. "Gazelle! What are you doing here?" Ao asked in amazement.

"Well I couldn't just let you two go off on your own, so we decided to get a job at the company for ourselves. We're full-fledged employees just like you," he said, squatting to meet their height.

"What about our island's independence? I thought you guys were going to keep fighting for that."

"Hey, what's our island's independence worth if the world gets destroyed in the process?"

Ao didn't respond as he couldn't really argue with that. "How is everyone on the island? We left so quick that I didn't get the chance to check on everyone," Naru said, her face downcast.

Gazelle turned to face her. "I can't really comment on the long-term effects of the last attack. We left not too long after you did, but everything looked fine when we were there last. There wasn't any major damage thanks to you guys keeping that Secret busy. Your Grandmother and sister made it out fine as well," he answered, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her face brightened at hearing the news.

"Oi!" they heard Elena calling from the boarding tunnel, "We don't have much time left, so you guys should hurry before we leave you behind!"

"Okay! We'll be there in a minute!" Ao called back.

"Looks like we'll have to let you two go for now," Gazelle said, standing back up, "but be careful. I heard about that hurricane in Colombia and you know how bad those typhoons would get back in Okinawa. The wind would blow you every which way until the center passed overhead. Anyway, go on. You're needed elsewhere. We'll hold the fort till you get back."

"Take care of yourselves, you guys."

The three struck mock inspirational poses before watching the two cross the boarding tunnel, get chided by their comrade, and enter the ship. They didn't leave until it had taken off.

"Poor kids," Pippo said, grinding his knuckle against the palm of his other hand, "They have to deal with all of this and they haven't even matured yet."

"Neither have you, you big oaf," Han joked, jabbing the larger man's ribs.

"Those two are stronger than you might think. They'll be fine," Gazelle said, neglecting to add the "I hope" that was present in his thoughts.

**Génération Bleu Battleship Triton (Atlantic Ocean; En Route to Colombia)**

Rebecka Hallström walked up the steps to the airship's bridge to find Ivica standing there, looking at a view screen. He'd been here almost the entire time since they'd left, overlooking the progress of their new pilot's crash training course.

"How are they doing on the sims?" she asked, leaning on his command chair.

His eyes flickered to her for a moment, registering that it was indeed her before responding. "Generally well, but these programs were designed for singular pilots. There's no telling what they'll do once they're out there together."

"But, they're making the right choices aren't they?"

"There are no right choices in tactics. There's the choices that will kill your enemy and the choices that will kill yourself. To answer your question, yes they are making good choices, but we don't know if they'll make those choices on the battlefield."

"Are they really so different?"

"No, but the boy appears to have a more passive approach to situations while the girl has a more aggressive approach. On the battlefield, that decision can make the difference between life and death. If they aren't in at least near complete agreement, they could die."

"We have no choice, though, do we? We've never dealt with a machine like theirs before. All we can do is protect them the best we can, right?"

Ivica turned his head to look at her for a moment before his gaze returned to the monitors. "At least you're learning something."

Down in the hanger, Ao was resting in the Nirvash's cockpit. The crash course had really worn him out and he suspected it had done the same for Naru, though she was good at hiding it. He smiled, remembering how she had chastised him on the walk from the apartment. It was just like her to do that even though he knew she was just as tired. It made him nostalgic for those days back on the island when they used to play together as children. Memories of those happy times warmed his heart.

"We're getting close to the Secret. Do you want to take another sim before we enter combat?" Ivica said over the com screen that appeared to his left. "No chief, I think I'm ready. I just need to rest for now." Ivica nodded and closed the com.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Naru asked from his right, tilting her head from behind the cutout that separated them.

"No. How could I be? We're about to fight off an giant alien creature in a robot that was piloted by my mother a long time ago and is apparently alive thanks to a guy I meant in a dream world."

"Yeah," she chuckled, "It does sound pretty ridiculous when you say it outright like that, but if you're really not ready for this then maybe we should sit this one out like Ivica said."

"Why? Do you feel up to this?"

"Well… It's just… When I think about those girls we met back at the HQ and what they must be going through right now… It really makes my blood boil. It makes me want to go out and help them, but if you don't feel up to this then I'll sit it out with you."

Ao was surprised to hear that from her. Most of the time on the island, she had been concerned with herself because of her disease. He was one of the only long-lasting friendships she ever made because of her disease and how short her lifespan was. Now that the disease was gone, she must be branching out a little.

"No… You're right," he said with determination, "I can't let them suffer either. I'll go and fight for them along with everyone else."

Naru nodded and sat back down. As they continued to get closer to the Secret, they felt a new emotion emanating from the Nirvash, one that they shared at the moment: anticipation.

**Colombian Airspace (Scub Coral Arrival Site)**

"We still can't locate the Medon or her IFOs. There's too much electromagnetic interference in the area to get a clear reading. HQ believes that the Secret is capable of generating a powerful electromagnetic field which was responsible for knocking out the Goldilocks' systems. You are all advised to remain outside of the Z.O.A. for the time being," Georg cheerfully delivered the explanation as the team moved closer to the hurricane.

"Try firing on the Secret from the outside," Ivica advised.

"Got it." The four of them fired countless shots at the outer wall of the hurricane in an attempt to damage the monolithic beast within. However, no matter how many projectiles they launched, they couldn't pierce the outer wall of the storm.

"It's too thick! There's no way to hit it from the outside!" Fleur raved, hitting the screen to her right with her gloved hand.

"Indeed. The wind speed has increased dramatically since the Medon penetrated the cloud barrier. With our current weaponry, we will be unable to breach the outer wall," Georg clarified.

Elena held her chin up under her helmet. "So, entering the Z.O.A. really is the only way to beat it…"

"No! That's exactly what Goldilocks did!" Rebecka hollered.

"Well, we have to come up with something. The Secret is almost to the Scub Coral."

Inside the Nirvash, Ao brought his gloved hand to where his chin would be under his helmet. _'There has to be something we're missing… Something important that we haven't thought of…' _

"Hey, Ao," Naru said, interrupting his thoughts, "What was it that Gazelle told us before we left? It had something to do with typhoons didn't it?"

"Yeah he was talking about how they blew you all around until… until you reached the center! That's it!" He opened a com. channel. "Georg! What if we hit it from the eye of the storm?"

"Let me see…" The AI disappeared for a moment and then reappeared. "It's feasible, but you'll have to hit it from close range. The EM field would interfere with the charge of your rail guns and the targeting systems of missiles and normal shots would be blown off their trajectory by the winds."

"Alright! Will you let us do it, Chief?"

Ivica resumed crossing his arm and closed his eyes in thought. "Georg," he said, "How dangerous would it be for them?"

"There's no telling exactly how dangerous it would be, but a high-powered EM field has the potential to cook them alive in minutes. They would have to complete the operation in a short amount of time to avoid serious injury or death."

"… and we can't send one of the other children in?"

"No. The Kyrie lacks the mobility and the Alleluia lacks the weaponry. The Nirvash has the perfect balance of both."

"I can't condone such an operation, then. Not when it puts my two youngest and most inexperienced pilots at such a risk."

"Chief!" They both called out this time.

"I promised your parents that I would bring you back safely… that I would die myself before I would let you come to harm. I won't let you get yourselves killed, not when I've already done enough damage by bringing you here in the first place."

"I guess Goldilocks doesn't matter then, or the people in Colombia!" Naru yelled.

Ivica's eyes snapped open.

"Those girls… They have families that love them too don't they? Even if they don't, that doesn't mean we should cast them aside. And the people of Colombia… even if we evacuate them, their homes will still be destroyed and it will take them months, maybe even years to rebuild because we failed to act"

"Even so, is it worth dying over?" Fleur asked angrily, "If you rush in there without a plan, it's practically suicide!"

"We won't die," Ao said with conviction, shifting the Nirvash to its humanoid state, "We may not have your knowledge or experience, but… We can't just sit by while innocent people are hurt by a conflict that they have no part in!"

Ivica brought his head back down and closed his eyes. _'Damned kids…' _

"Go then…" he said with a sigh.

"What?"

"You heard me. Go now before I change my mind."

"Yes, Chief!"

"Hey, you two!" Fleur called out.

"Yeah?"

"See it through to the end. You're not allowed to fail until you do," she said calmly.

The two nodded at their respective screens before the dashed off toward their destination.

"Was that really the best decision?" Rebecka asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Like I said earlier, there aren't any right or wrong choices in tactics. Whatever the choice, you can only hope it doesn't haunt you for the rest of your life."

The pair of pilots steered the Nirvash diagonally upward until they reached the top of the hurricane where they leveled out and quickly made their way to the center.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Naru. If I'd known that this would be our first mission…" Ao said quietly.

"Don't apologize, you idiot," she replied, giving him a light punch on the shoulder.

"Huh?"

"I chose to follow you here. I… wanted to fly with you. I couldn't just sit around waiting for you to come home while you were out fighting giant monsters in some other country every other day. I'd probably die from worry alone. I'm glad I'm out here fighting by your side."

"But-"

"Listen Ao, you're no stronger than I am. Maybe when I had my disease, but not anymore. You can't do this by yourself no matter how much you might think that you can. You need someone to support you and I'd like to be that person."

That shut him up. He had seen her as a close friend or a sister to that point. She wanted to be more than that, though. She wanted to be his equal, someone he could depend on and who could depend on him.

"We're in this together, Ao. You don't need to carry any more of this burden me, alright?

"Yeah, you're right as usual. We're partners aren't we? I won't look down on you anymore. You don't deserve it."

"Well, maybe just a little," she chuckled, "It's kind of cute when you get protective like that."

"Hey, don't say stuff like that!" he exclaimed, blushing and causing her to laugh.

Neither of them noticed the Synch Percentage rise during their conversation.

By the time they were done speaking, they had reached the eye of the hurricane through which they could clearly see the Secret below them. It's odd shape being hidden under its smooth upper section.

"Well, this is it," Ao said nervously.

"Let's go for it," Naru said, equally nervous, "No turning back now."

After a moment's hesitation, they plunged directly through the center of the storm. Their heads hit the backs of their seats and they had to keep a tight grip on the joysticks to keep themselves from veering off. Breaking through the relatively thin cloud barrier, they emerged to see one of the Secret's options heading directly for them.

"GAH!"

Rapidly swerving to the right, they weaved in and out, avoiding the options and heading for the top. Once they reached the upper section of the Secret, they could clearly make out the core in the center of the circular platform. Before they could attempt to destroy it, however, their limited time within the Z.O.A. was up and the Secret finally noticed them. It began spinning around at impossible speeds, deploying its last resort: the EM field.

Ao felt an immense shock running through his body. He was assaulted by waves of pain, causing him to shake until he could no longer grip the joysticks to control the Nirvash; his entire body was heating up until he felt like he was burning alive. This was all increased twofold by the Nirvash's own feelings of pain that were flooding his mind and driving him over the edge. He tried to scream, but no sound would come out of his mouth.

He struggled to turn his head and saw that Naru was in a similar situation, holding her head in agony. The last part of his brain that was capable of coherent thought lit up. _'Naru… We're partners… equals. You fought so hard for me on the island and even here… You were the only one who saw past my eyes and my hair… and you followed me here despite the danger. I can't just let you die… even if it costs my own life…' _He reached a hand out in her general direction.

Naru was experiencing similar thoughts, blocking out the pain. _'Ao… I promised to follow you… to support you and stand by your side in this fight… you were the only friend I had back on the island… our situations were similar so naturally we became friends… I won't let you die now that we've come so far together…' _She reached out a hand in his general direction.

Both of their hands fell on the Compact Drive handle and with the last of their strength, they pulled it upward. The Synch Percentage screen indicated 100% as lavender light filled the cockpit.

**Colombian Airspace (Hurricane Exterior)**

Nothing could have prepared the rest of Pied Piper for what happened next. A gigantic beam of rainbow light erupted from the top and bottom of the storm, cutting through the clouds and dispersing them. Several rings of light emanated from the beam and spread out over a wide range.

"What is that?! Is it another Scub Coral?!" Ivica said loudly, rising to his feet.

"No," Georg said, popping up in the OS, "I've never witnessed a phenomenon like this before, but that beam of light appears to be an immense amount of Trapar. It doesn't match the unknown energy we've observed during Scub Coral arrival. Its origin and the reaction that caused it are currently unknown."

Everyone, including the other pilots, looked on in amazement as the hurricane was completely dispelled, revealing the Secret and the Nirvash floating in the air. The Secret was spinning out of control, its senses disrupted by the immeasurable amounts of Trapar in the area, and sending out EM waves in various directions.

The Nirvash rode the Trapar, seemingly floating through the air, with untold skill toward the Secret. Dodging its Options, which were now whipping wildly through the air, the machine made its way to the core of the behemoth. Extending its electrified knuckleduster, the Nirvash sank it's fist into the glowing red orb, stopping its erratic movements. After pulling away, the creature exploded in a bright flash of light.

The Nirvash sank to the ground, having served its purpose and its pilots' strength exhausted.

"Um, Ivica…" Rebecka said tentatively.

Ivica pulled his eyes away from the sight for a moment to respond, "What is it?"

"We're getting a com. signal…"

Ivica rubbed his forehead. "Tell the girls to proceed with the quartz recovery and then open a channel."

Rebecka followed her orders and soon a surprising image popped up on the screen.

"Ivica! You're here!"

Ivica blinked for a moment. "Bruno? So you're alive after all."

"Yes I'm fine. The Secret's EM field knocked out our navigation systems and caused us to crash to the ground. We've taken relatively minor damage, but the girls…" The man's face darkened.

"Are they all right?"

"Chloe's unharmed and Maeve only has minor bruises, but Maggie… she's been severely injured. Our medical staff are doing what they can, but we need to get her back to HQ and fast."

"Once we've got the Quartz and our other pilots, we'll rush back to headquarters. I suspect she's not the only one in need of medical attention."

Hans breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Ivica. I can't rest easy yet, but you've given some peace at least."

"Glad to hear it Bruno."

"What happened exactly? What was that beam of light?"

Ivica shook his head. "To be honest with you Bruno, I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait for the retrieval of our pilots to find out. Have they responded to our hails?" He looked to Rebecka to find the woman shaking her head. "This is going to be one odd report I have to write," he sighed.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Medical Examination Area; Several Hours Later)**

Ao woke up to find an unfamiliar ceiling above him. He tried to move only to feel pain coursing through his body, forcing him to lay back down.

"Oh! You're awake!" he heard a somewhat familiar voice say. He tilted his head to the left to find the face of Chloe McCaffrey staring back at him, holding his helmet in her lap.

"What are you doing here?" he coughed out, feeling pain in his throat.

She got a glass of water from the table next to her and slowly fed it to him. He felt relief as it splashed down his throat. "Sheesh. I wait here all this time for you to wake up and that's all you can say?"

"Sorry," he said, feeling a little better.

"No, it's okay. I'm here to… apologize actually," she said quietly, looking down.

"Apologize? What do you have to apologize for?"

"When we found out that a Secret was hidden within the hurricane, I… I suggested that we enter the Z.O.A. to fight it up close. The others agreed with me and went inside. The Secret found us within seconds. Maeve and I got tossed around and Maggie… she tried to defend us and almost died because of it and then Bruno came for us and we all crashed…"

"Why are you apologizing for that?"

"Just listen! After they recovered us, I found out that you guys stuck up for us the whole time and then you went and almost got yourselves killed and it was my fault...!" She was almost in tears.

With great pain to himself, he brought his arm up to ruffle her hair, immediately catching her attention. "Hey, it's not your fault. You made the right assumption. There was no way of attacking it from the outside and you couldn't have known about the EM field, so don't worry about it. I proved you right anyway. Attacking it in the Z.O.A. was the only option."

"I just wish you two wouldn't have had to risk so much for us," she said, as he retracted his hand, her face still downcast.

'_You two… Naru!' _he thought, quickly turning his head around. On the bed next to him, he saw Naru lying there, her face peaceful, and for the first time he noticed that her hand was intertwined with his own in the space between them. He breathed a sigh of relief, ignoring the pain from his lungs. _'At least we all survived… That's what counts…'_

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (President's Office)**

Bruno slowly walked into the dark office. The company president was watching a recording of the events that played out in Colombia on his holographic computer. Noticing the man, he quickly closed the screen and stood up.

"Bruno, I'm very happy that you and the girls are still with us. To lose a close friend would be a painful experience for all of us," Blanc said with a genuine look of happiness on his face.

"I'm just glad I'm still able to support the girls," Bruno replied, his voice heavy with exhaustion, "but we both know that I'm not here to dicuss this topic with you."

"Don't be so sour Bruno. I really am happy that you're still alive."

"I know, but I'd rather get back as soon as possible if you don't mind. Here's what the recovery teams found," he said, placing a rectangular object on the desk. Blanc's face immediately changed from his usual smile to a look of seriousness

"The data is still intact?"

"As far as we can tell. All the files are in there just like the others. Have you found a team to decipher them yet?"

"I found a group that has potential. Only time will tell if they're up to the job."

"Let us hope, because if they're not…" Bruno said, rising to his feet and walking toward the exit, "then this conflict will never end." The man walked out of the office and the doors closed behind him.

Blanc looked back down at the device. _'What secrets are you hiding… Johansson?'_

**A/N:**

**It's pretty obvious that I overwrote this and took way too long to do it. I'm really sorry for the delay, but I was distracted by my brother and my other hobbies. Thanks once again to MEleeSmasher for the various ideas that you've given me. I'll be sure to incorporate them where I can in the later chapters. If you'll notice, I made a few *ahem* slight changes to the plotline of this particular section of the anime/manga. Kudos to anyone who can figure out the reference in Goldilocks' new color schemes. Gunmetal Grey is such a boring color after all. I'll be sure to change Harlequin's schemes too when I get the chance. As always, send me any ideas if you have them and point out any grammatical or spelling errors. I'll also group in continuity errors because I probably wasn't thinking straight when I wrote this chapter.**


	8. Tumultuous Feelings

**A/N: So, the translated manga ends at volume 7 and there's been no indication of volume 8 or beyond coming out anytime soon. I only say this because the manga flows a lot better than the anime and now I won't be able to use it as a basis anymore. It also means that these chapters will have a slight delay on them due to the time it takes to watch an episode or two and implement changes. I offer my sincerest apologies for that.**

**UPDATE: This chapter has been extended, so anyone who has previously read can skip down to get the rest.**

**Disclaimer: The series and its characters belong to BONES Animation Studios**

"Speech"/ _'Thoughts'_

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Residential Area; One Week Later)**

Elena casually walked back to her apartment from the command center. Life was flowing smoothly for once as Pied Piper had been given a few weeks leave due to their actions against three Secrets in a row and their two downed pilots. Apparently the president saw fit to give them rest only when there was major accident. Speaking of the rookies, they were set to get out sometime in the next two weeks. She had been down to visit them a few times; Ao seemed as bashful as ever, especially when she'd teased him about his relationship with his fellow pilot, and Naru was doing well enough. It was odd seeing the two be so… normal after the beating they had taken.

In the meantime, she had taken to doing some research and had hired on a little help…

Stopping right outside her apartment, she was about to insert her card key when she heard a shout. "Hey, Elena!" Turning her head, she saw a blue-haired man running towards her with two electronic files in hand. This man was Han Juno, a computer hacking specialist at the newly founded Gazelle Administration which was part of the company's information gathering services. _'I only approached them at the beginning of the week! These guys work fast!'_

"I'm glad I caught you. I found some evidence for you," he said, handing the files to her.

"Already? You can't have found what I'm looking for in that short a time?" Scrolling through the files, her eyes widened before a smile graced her lips. "How did you find this?"

"Since the company president hasn't actually given us something to do yet, I decided to spend my spare time sneaking through an American military database and I happened upon it. It's not the most reliable info I've ever gotten, but this is probably your best bet."

"Thank you so much! I'll get on this right away!" She turned to enter her apartment, but Han grabbed her wrist preventing her from doing so. She looked down at the man's hand and then up at his face. "What? I paid you guys in advance."

"Oh, come on! We're not that petty," he sighed, releasing her wrist, "It's just… I can't breach the server any further so the only way to get more information is to-"

"Yeah, I know," she said quietly, looking down at the ground.

"Are you sure about this?"

She closed her eyes. "No, but I want this more than anything."

"Good luck, then." Her eyes snapped open and she looked up to see the man smiling at her.

"You won't report me?"

"It's against all of my better judgment, but I'll cover for you where I can. Just let me know what your plan is, okay?" he asked, placing a hand on his hip.

"Okay…" She was stunned to be honest. The man in front of her was more trustworthy than she could have hoped, or he wanted blackmail. Either way she was extremely grateful for his help and she knew just the way to show it…

Han was about to leave when the girl in front of him leaned in close and planted a kiss on his cheek. He gasped in surprise and his cheeks flushed as she pulled away. There were so many things he wanted to say at that moment, but his brain couldn't quite choose the right one. It was too late anyway, as she had disappeared behind the door to her apartment.

'_Just forget about it, Han… It's better for both of you if you just forget about it,' _he thought, turning away from Elena's door. Realizing something, he whipped his head around and viewed the surrounding area. "Good, no cameras," he said, breathing a sigh of relief and thanking his lucky stars that there wasn't a person in sight, "That could have been a disaster…"

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Medical Examination Area; One Week Later)**

Ao sat up in his bed; he was on painkillers right now, so he felt no bodily strain from moving. The doctors said that he had minimal exposure to the EM field, so he and Naru should be fully healed within the next week or so, but they would still have to come in for weekly check-ups for the next two months or more to make sure there wasn't any permanent damage. He didn't mind at all. He was just happy that they were both alive after the last mission.

He looked to his right to see Naru up as well, presumably looking through the window at all of the people outside the window. There really hadn't been much for the two of them to do during their stay, so they mostly just hung around the room and occasionally checked updates and read on their mobiles. Chloe had come to visit them a couple times and they made idle conversation; she had told them of her homeland in Norway, or at least what little of it she remembered having been a member of Gen. Bleu for at least three years. Before catching TRA (Trapar-based Respiratory Atrophy), her parents had owned a bakery in Leikanger and Maeve and her had lived relatively happy lives with them. Now, they were in the company's care and had to be under constant observation; He pitied the two girls, but as with himself and Naru, he recognized the importance of them being here. They weren't fighting for themselves, but for the sake of everyone else.

Shaking those thoughts out of his head, he swung his legs over and attempted to rise from the bed. He felt a little wobbly as his feet met the ground but otherwise perfectly capable of walking. "Hey Naru, I'm going to visit Maggie today. Do you want to come?" he asked her, unsure of the answer he would receive. His partner had been oddly quiet since waking up and he couldn't think of a reason why. "No, Ao… I want to be alone for a while. Go on without me, okay?" she replied. Ao stared at her with a concerned look, but he knew better than to try and force her. Knowing her, she would either start crying or sock him in the face, neither of which he wanted to happen. "Okay, Naru… and if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here." She had stuck up for him on various occasions; perhaps it was time to repay her.

Not hearing her respond, he sighed and walked out the door. Looking around, he found himself to be in a small complex with many rooms lining the walls. Supposedly, this area was set aside specifically for injuries pertaining to Gen. Bleu's three teams and these rooms were empty most of the time. Seeing a nurse at the kiosk, he walked over and posed his question. "Um… excuse me, but do you know where I can find the Goldilocks pilot's room?" The nurse looked up at him and gave him a kind smile. "Oh, I'm glad to see you're up and about again. The Goldilocks' pilot? You mean Maggie? Her room is right down the hall and to the right. It's number 118," she answered, pointing down the hall behind him. Thanking her, he proceeded down the hall and tentatively knocked on the door to the room he'd been directed to.

He had heard that Maggie was still asleep so he was surprised when the door opened from the other side, revealing a familiar face. "Oh, it's you," Maeve said, surprised.

"Can I come in?"

"Y-Yes, of course."

He walked in the room to find Maggie resting peacefully on her bed, an IV attached to her hand, but no other obvious signs that she was injured. After closing the door behind him, Maeve returned to the position she had previously occupied: sitting in a chair by the bed and holding the other girl's hand.

"I'm sorry that I didn't visit you two, but I… I didn't want to leave her here alone…" she said quietly, lowering her head in sorrow.

"It's fine. I understand," he said, pulling up a chair to sit next to her, "Has she woken up since the, ah... the incident?"

"Briefly. She's been sedated for most of the time to help her heal faster and for the drugs to work more effectively. When she did wake up, though…" She closed her eyes and her face showed a sorrowful expression. Ao placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What happened?"

"She…she was-"

As if on cue, Maggie began to stir under the sheets. Her body began to quaver and her head shifted from side to side. Maeve quickly rose from her seat and placed her hands on Maggie's shoulders, keeping her steady and letting this fit run its course. Ao decided to chip in and held her waist steady, ignoring the confusing signals his own body was giving him. Eventually she settled back down, but before she fell back into her slumber, she said something that sent a shiver down his spine. "Mama… Papa…please don't go…" the girl whispered as she became still again.

Maeve looked as if she was about to cry as she sat back down. "It went pretty much like that. Her injuries must be bringing up some bad memories and giving her nightmares, but there's not a thing I can do for her," she said, sounding distraught.

"She's thinking of her family?"

"Yeah." She wiped her eyes and attempted to compose herself. "She had a family over in Hong Kong, but by the time we got to her, it was already too late. Her parents died of the TRA from the Scub Burst and she was left alone, until the company brought her too us. She looked so lonely when she first got here, even lonelier than we were." She suddenly smiled. "So, I walked up to her one day and asked her if she wanted to come and play with us. She tried to shy away at first, but I wouldn't let her go until she cheered up. Eventually, she started hanging out with us all the time and we became good friends and we continued even as we were brought into Team Goldilocks and the company's piloting division." She suddenly stopped and raised her head to look at him. "I'm sorry. I'm rambling on aren't I? You probably don't want to hear all about our past do you?"

He raised his hands. "No, it's fine. I know what this feels like. After the Scub Burst in Okinawa, Naru and I both lost our mothers. There were a lot of nights when we were like she is right now," he recounted, pointing to Maggie, "We understood each other's pain and we were able to find comfort in each other. It's okay if you want to talk about it. My grandfather always said that it's first step to feeling better."

Maeve looked at him in surprise. "I had no idea that you two had suffered as much as we have… Oh well, I guess that's just a common thread for all of us… So what was your mother like?"

Ao scratched the back of his head, trying to think. "I don't really remember her that well, but she was kind and caring. She would never scold me or treat me poorly unless I deserved it and she was courteous to everyone else even though the islanders hated her."

"She sounds like a wonderful woman. I wish I could meet her."

"Yeah, me too…"

They continued to talk for a while, though neither of them knew what they should really talk about, so they talked about small things, like their personal lives and company policy, until Ao was sure that Maeve was relaxed again. Eventually, he felt his painkillers beginning to wear off and he got up to leave.

"I'm going to head back to my room. It was nice talking to you Maeve."

"Likewise, and thank you. I feel a lot better now. I'll see you around the Residential Area, yeah?"

"Yeah."

He then proceeded to exit the room and walk back to his own room, greeting the nurse in his way back. He was met with surprise when he walked through the door. Naru was laying there on her bed, eyes closed and facing him this time, and in her hands she held a familiar item. Leaning in, Ao identified it as a holopic that showed her family before the Scub Burst. Sliding his finger across the surface of the photo, carefully so as not to wake her, he revealed the only other photo that was stored in its memory. It now showed a photo of the two of them playing on the beach as children; he was pretty sure that this one was taken by his mother. _'She looked so happy back then. We both did…'_

He almost didn't notice Naru stirring. Slowly, she opened her eyes and they locked with his own for a moment. In them, he saw sorrow and worry. She then rolled onto her back, breaking their gaze. She was still tightly gripping the holopic in her hands.

"You had someone get that from your apartment?" he asked, sitting back down on his own bed.

"Yes. Pippo stopped by for a visit while you were gone. He asked me if there was anything I wanted and I told him that I wanted this," she responded, sounding weary.

"Is there something wrong, Naru? You seem… off."

She rolled back on her side to face him. "Ao… I… I was just thinking… thinking of what would have happened if we'd…" her voice trailed off.

"If we'd what?" Ao didn't like where this was heading.

"If we had died during that last battle… I mean, look at us now. We came so close."

Ao was shocked. Usually she was the strong one and now she was thinking about this kind of thing…

"I was thinking about my family… about your family and how sad everyone would be if I never came back. It would be like when mother died, but so much worse…"

Ao, unable to think of anything else to do for her, walked forward and drew her into an embrace. Though in his heart, he felt the same, right now he had to put on a strong face for the girl who had done the same for him when he was a child. The two said nothing, drawing comfort from each other. They pulled away eventually, and he watched her drift off into a peaceful slumber once again. He then took out his own photograph, the one of himself and his mother, and let his own tears fall silently on the glass in the frame.

**One Month After Colombia…**

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Residential District)**

"All tests have shown positive results. You're in perfect health and your simulator scores are more than high enough to justify sending you into combat. You and the rest of Team Pied Piper are set to return to active duty as soon as the next Secret arrives. Do you feel that you're ready?"

"Yes, we're ready," Ao and Naru said in unison.

"I'm glad to hear it. From what I hear, the others are eagerly awaiting their next battle. It will be a relief to them to get back out flying again. Remember, come and see me if you have any troubles that you want to discuss. I will always be here," Blanc said, signing out of the three way conversation.

Much had happened in the month since the battle over Colombia. Ao and Naru made a full recovery from the Secret's attack within the second week of leave, however Ivica and other members expressed concern over their ability to effectively pilot and decided to take this time to put them through a piloting course. Thanks to Boyle's team, a dual pilot simulator had been developed exclusively for their use and they had to report to it for training for a number of hours each day. By the end of the fourth week, their scores had already surpassed expectations and Boyle was confident that the two were ready for combat. Other than that, they were settling into their apartments and returning to the Medical Wards for weekly health checkups, which showed signs of vast improvement in the both of them.

Thankfully, only three Scub Arrivals had occurred in the meantime, two of which were taken care of by Gen. Bleu's third IFO team, Harlequin, who were not stationed on the base. The third was eliminated by Goldilocks after the recent completion of repairs to the Medon and the recovery of their pilot, Maggie Kwan. Ao and Naru had visited Bruno's apartment after they had gotten out and the man had shown his immense thanks by pulling the two into a massive bear hug. Suffice to say, they had been short of breath afterward.

Fleur and Elena had been getting the appropriate amount of rest under advisement from Ivica and Rebecka. Fleur had mostly just hung out the whole month while occasionally heading down to the hanger to keep her skills sharp with the simulator; Ao had heard that she and Elena had tried out the dual sim together and that the two had managed to pull a somewhat decent score after a ton of tries and the occasional verbal battle. Speaking of Elena, they hadn't seen the girl around the district that much, though Fleur said it was normal for her to be holed up in her room for hours at a time illegally downloading… things.

Ao shook his head of such thoughts and returned to the book that he had been reading before Blanc had called. He was currently sitting in his apartment, which was sparsely decorated. He didn't own all that many things back on the island, so he didn't have much to take with him when he came here.

'_Settled in?'_

Ao immediately put the book down and stood up. Turning around, he saw a face that he hadn't seen in weeks. There was Aeterna sitting cross-legged on the…ceiling…

"What are you doing here, and why haven't I seen you in so long?" Ao asked, not really as angry as he sounded.

'_What? Not happy to see me again?' _His face showed an expression of mock hurt.

"It's not that, it's just… you helped me so much back on the island and it's been a long time since we talked last…"

'_You seemed to be doing pretty well for yourself and I saw no particular need to interfere with your actions.'_

"I guess... To me it felt more like I was stumbling around and only knowing what to do half of the time," he said, putting a hand up to his chin, "How are you here anyway? And why do you look more… solid than usual?"

'_The material that Gen. Bleu removes from the Scub Coral…'_

"Quartz?"

'_Yes, that's it. That stuff has the power to bend time and space. The closer I am to it, the more real I become. However, no matter how close I am, I will never truly enter your world.'_

"Why not?"

'_You wouldn't understand if I told you. It's more complicated than you can understand. Instead, let's talk about what you've been doing.'_

Ao was a little irked, but he kept his mouth shut on the matter. He knew that he probably couldn't get any more answers out of this man if he tried, and he'd probably just get waved off again. _'I'll get answers out of you some day,' _he thought. Deciding to put off thinking about it till later, he continued the conversation.

"Yeah, about what happened in Colombia… You were watching weren't you?"

'_Of course, and I assume that you want me to tell you about what happened to you?' _Receiving a nod of confirmation from the boy, he continued. _'That beam of light you saw and the subsequent Trapar storm: that is the Seven Swell Phenomenon.'_

"Seven… Swell…?"

'_Yes, it is the result of the complete synchronization between the two pilots of a Nirvash Type ZERO Archetype. The reaction between the consciousnesses of both pilots and that of the Nirvash excites the Archetype's Natural Engine and causes a powerful burst of Trapar."_

"I don't really understand it all, but I get the gist of what you're saying. Naru and I need to be in complete synch to perform it, right?"

'_Yes, that's correct, but let's return to why I'm here. There is a man rapidly approaching this facility; he has a wild and chaotic personality and is capable of mass devastation. I need you to keep your co-pilot safe from him."_

Ao's eyes narrowed. "How do you know all of this… and why would he go after Naru?"

'_He is an old adversary of mine,' _the man mentally sighed, _'I had hoped that you would not have to meet him, but it appears that I was mistaken. As for Naru, he needs you for a purpose that even I don't understand entirely. It is likely that he will attempt to remove that which you hold most dear in order to manipulate you.'_

Ao, suddenly realizing the meaning in his words, ran for the door and left the apartment, leaving Aeterna to his own devices.

'_Do you really think it was a good idea warning him about that? You know better than anyone how dangerous it is to bend time. If he strays from the path now, then it's likely that we won't be able to set him back on and the Contact will fail,' _a woman thought to him as she rose through the floor.

'_Don't worry about it,' _he thought back, waving it off, _'It isn't crucial that he is unprepared for this event. I am merely concerned for Naru. Despite her apparent loyalty to our cause, it would be more detrimental to both the boy and the Nirvash if events play out like last time. If she continues to believe that she can change that man's personality as she did in the original timeline, then the Contact is doomed to fail.'_

'_I guess you're right,' _she thought, looking down, _'I'm just not sure if this is the best choice.'_

'_Well, I may have to interfere directly on this one.' _He stood up and gave her a kiss, which was somewhat awkward as they were on opposite gravitational pulls, but no less heartfelt.

'_Be careful, love. We don't know what will happen to the timeline if you change the events surrounding him,' _she thought, running a hand across his cheek.

'_I know, and I'll try not to hurt him too badly. We were friends once, after all.'_

With that said, or thought rather, the two disappeared shortly before the alarms sounded.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Main Vehicle Entrance)**

The guards sat at their stations, sipping café and talking rather than monitoring the traffic like they should have been. They couldn't help it, though, as FP and magnet-hover technology had greatly reduced the accident rate; plus, there had only been a single direct attack on the facility before, and the guys that did it weren't professionals in the slightest and were apprehended in minutes. It was an incredibly dull job to guard a UN approved and funded facility like this.

"Did you hear about that new singer from Manchester?" one asked his colleague.

"Oh! You mean Miller? Of course, I hear she's really good," the other guard replied.

"Are you kidding? She's excellent! She's hit the top of the indie-rock charts worldwide and she's right here at headquarters. I hear the company's entertainment division managed to get a hold of her for a few months, or maybe even the rest of the year."

"She's that good, huh? I might have to go to her next concert."

"You really should. She's amazing!"

The third guard at the scene was the only one who was remotely doing his job. Sure, he was incredibly bored, but he, at least, recognized the importance of what he was doing and, in this instance, it paid off. He spotted something farther down on the road.

"Hey guys, look at this," he said, pointing down the road. Having caught the other guard's attention, he turned back and squinted at the shape. If he looked very closely, he could make out a… beautiful woman in a red dress?

Indeed, there was a woman walking down the road, the wind from passing cars fluttering about her purple hair and the flaps of her dress. However, as soon as she passed a street lamp, her form shifted into that of an Asian-looking man. With a smirk on his face, the man pointed a finger gun at the guard station and uttered one word.

"Bang!"

The entire guard station spontaneously exploded, leaving the main entrance covered in flames. Cars piled up in front of the ruined gates, as the man leaped over the burning platform and landed on the other side in the form of the woman once again. She looked as if she didn't care at all that there were now hundreds of armed guards surrounding her.

"Halt! Identify yourself!" one of the guards shouted at her.

"Me?" the woman chuckled, "Well if I have to introduce myself…"

All of the fire suddenly sprang forth from behind her and completely engulfed the men in front of her. By the time the last man had fallen, the woman's form had shifted again, revealing a teal-haired man wearing a black jacket over an all-black outfit and a glowing belt to hold it all together.

"My name is Truth."

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Command and Analysis Room)**

Blanc walked in to find the Command Room in a frantic state of alert. It was a shame really. He had been taking the most wonderful nap when a pesky intruder decided to invade the city. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, walked up to his console and asked Stanley, who was below him, "What's the situation?"

Stanley quickly looked up. "The intruder broke in through the main gate and is heading toward the Residential and Recreational Districts. From the few who survived the initial attack, we've learned that the target is male and using weapons that we haven't seen before. None of them were able to provide conclusive details, though."

Blanc placed a hand on his chin. "Is it SENTINELS?"

Stanley shook his head. "No, it doesn't seem like their usual brand of experimental weaponry, and aside from that, they have no reason to attack us. We may have taken possession of the Mark 1, but that wouldn't be enough of a motivation for them to attack us."

"An Unknown, eh? What is the general direction of his attack?"

The man turned back to the screens before answering. "He's moving very fast, so it's hard to tell, but it looks like he's heading… upward."

"I see…" Blanc closed his eyes in thought. After a few moments he said, "Put out a scramble order for the Team Pied Piper and Team Goldilocks."

Stanley spun on his heel. "What? Why? Do you think he's going after the IFOs?"

Blanc nodded. "If he's heading in the direction of the upper areas, then it's very likely that he is targeting either the IFOs or the command center. If it's the previous, then we can at least draw him away from HQ."

Stanley looked at him for a few silent moments before heading towards the door of the lower level. "I'll inform the teams."

Out in the corridor, Rebecka was lost in her thoughts. She was analyzing the situation from all angles and trying to determine the identity and motive of the intruder. _'If it's not SENTINELS, then who could it be?'_

Her thoughts were broken, however, as Stanley stepped out of the Command Room. He didn't turn to look at her, but stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Has there been any intel, Ms. Hallström?"

Rebecka hesitated for a moment but responded, "None at all. The American Government knows nothing, though, they could be bluffing. Even I don't have access to more than the most basic information on SENTINELS."

"As I told Blanc, it is doubtful that they are behind this as we rival them as one of the largest proprietors of experimental military technology in the world and we don't have anything near capable of the destruction this man is causing. Well, except for _that, _but we can't control it nor can they."

"What do you want me to do?"

"As it stands, our top priority is moving the IFOs and securing the pilots. In the worst case scenario, we'll have to destroy the base and the secrets hiding in the basement."

Rebecka's eyes widened. She was surprised that they would be willing to go through such lengths to eliminate one man. "What about Blanc?"

"It isn't necessary that he be informed. What matters is the elimination of the target. Hurry and make the preparations. We haven't much time," Stanley replied, continuing his walk down the corridor. After a moment's hesitation, Rebecka departed as well.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Recreational District; Special Event Stage)**

"Oi Miller!"

Miller, who was sitting at a table and hovering over her tablet, turned her head to see her band members standing in the doorway.

"The shows been cancelled and we've been ordered to evacuate!" they called over to her.

Nearly sighing, she replied in a cheery tone, "You guys go on ahead of me! I'll be out of here shortly."

Nodding, the other two left, allowing her to turn back to her tablet which was showing various security feeds around the building. "What's he looking for?"

Her head shot up as she heard a sharp noise coming from the stage's speaker system. There, in the center of the spotlights and holding her microphone, was the man responsible for the destruction going on around her. She was so focused on him that she barely noticed the soldiers marching in to her defense. Unbeknownst to them, she held up her tablet and took several pictures using the camera that was on the underside.

"What are your intentions, you terrorist!" shouted the guard captain, "Who are you!"

"You guys didn't catch it the first time, huh?" he tauntingly spoke into the microphone, "Well then, I am Truth, and welcome to my live show: The Ball!"

At that point the captain realized that it would be pointless. "Forget it! Just shoot him!"

The entire squad of guards opened fire on the man, but it was pointless. All of the bullets just passed through him as if he weren't even there, much to his amusement. Seeming to grow bored, he leaped over them all and unleashed a huge blast of energy, blinding Miller. Struggling, she felt a hand grip her jaw and yank her off the floor from where she had ducked to avoid the blast.

When the light left her eyes, she could see that the stage was in shambles and all of the soldiers around her were dead. The worst part, though, was that the man known as Truth was the one gripping her jaw and he had a soft expression on his face.

"So, who are you?" he asked in an indifferent tone.

By now, there was really no other choice but to answer his questions. "I'm Miller," she replied in an equally indifferent manner, attempting to mask her fear.

"Miller… or Mirror?"

"It's Miller."

"Hmm. And what would a lovely lady such as yourself be doing here?"

"I'm a singer. The company hired me to sing here."

"You sing? Is that the truth?" he mused.

"It is," she returned, staring indignantly into his eyes.

He chuckled to himself for a moment before he released his grip her jaw, allowing her to fall back to the ground. He then walked a short distance away and picked up her tablet which had fallen away from her during the conflict.

"Sorry, but no pictures at my show," he said as he crushed the tablet in his hand. Afterward, he flew out of a hole in the ceiling leaving a stunned Miller sitting there. She decided that it would be best to leave after that.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (En Route to IFO Hangers)**

Naru ran across up the stairwell as fast as her legs could carry her. Once the intruder had broken into the HQ, she had already decided to head up to the Command Center, which would be the safest place in this case, but she doubled her pace as soon as the order to scramble had been sent out. She knew that they would probably be called upon to pilot the Nirvash and fight him, whoever he was. Thankfully Ao had contacted her earlier and he was on his way as well.

She had reached the top of the stairs, but before she could enter the lobby, she came face to face with the teal-haired man shown in the warning signs sent out by the company. She gasped as she realized that this man was the intruder.

As their eyes met, Truth's mind flared up with feelings of recognition. _'A girl in white islander's clothing takes his hand and they float off together. He plants a vision of her rejection in the boy's mind for a bit of fun. The scene shifts. They stand together atop the Scub Coral. She is no longer clad in casual wear, but a white dress and odd adornments on her ears. She takes his hand in both of hers and smiles. She wants him to change, but he knows that he cannot for it would go against all that he is. The scene shifts once again. They are no longer on the same side. She battles against him in the red and white devil, while he holds the body of a devil himself.' _He snapped out of the vision and immediately shook his very quickly in an attempt to erase all memory of its appearance. It was just too absurd to be true. There was no way he and the girl could know each other. He did recognize her, though, from the Scub Burst of Okinawa all of those years ago. Deciding that pondering over it would get him nowhere, he decided to examine her more closely. She might hold a clue to this world's truth after all.

"It's you… The one who was protected by the Sea Giant…" he softly spoke, taking a step forward.

"Stay away from me!" she yelled, backing up slowly.

It was confusing to him. She was different… He could see it in her breath, in her eyes. She was changing, becoming like them, becoming like _her. _How could that have happened without his knowing about it? He was the only one who knew about the true nature of the Scub Coral, wasn't he?

His thoughts were interrupted by yet another group of guards running up to defend the girl.

"Go ahead and get inside! We'll handle him!" the said loudly to her. Nodding to them, she circled around the group, which was now surrounding him and entered the facility. Tiring of their insolence he placed a hand on the ground and willed several stone spires to rise from the ground and impale all of them through their chests. He leapt back into the air afterward and rose up towards his set target: the machine that would soon be his.

Ao soon came upon the scene and gasped in surprise and disgust at the brutality. He shook his head, trying to get it out of his mind. There was nothing he could do for the poor souls at the moment, so he entered the building as well.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (IFO Hangers)**

Thanks to Ao's quick running speed, he reached Pied Piper's Locker Room only moments after Naru and they both donned their completed pilot suits, which were tailored to their exact size and cast in a dark grey and sea green color scheme to match the Nirvash. They both wanted to discuss the happenings outside of the Command Center, but they both set it aside until the conflict was over. This was no time for distractions. Walking through the catwalks, they greeted the Nirvash and boarded it before waiting for further instruction.

Meanwhile, Rebecka was arguing with Boyle about the current orders.

"Scramble? We can't do that until we load the Nirvash!" he exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter," she replied, "We must deploy even if we have to launch it separately." She then called up to the pilots. "Ao! Naru! You're going to go out ahead of us!"

"Understood!" they both called back before settling into their pilot seats. Suddenly, they both felt feelings of anger and alarm radiating from the Nirvash. They both whipped their heads towards the focus point of the machine's concern to find the intruder standing on the nose of the jet mode and holding a… microphone.

"Ah, so it's you. It's been a while since we've seen each other hasn't it?" questioned the man, seemingly talking to the Nirvash.

Ao, not realizing that this man was an intruder, stood up to talk to him. "Hey, what are you doing on the Nirvash?!"

Hearing this, Rebecka looked up and her eyes widened when she saw the man. "That's-"

Truth looked at the boy that had just called out to him. "So, its name is Nirvash. Hmm, and what are you doing piloting _that women's _machine?" Then, he saw it. Pale skin, violet eyes, turquoise hair sticking out from under his helmet… He was the spitting image of her, which could only mean one thing. "Ah, I see now. You're that woman's offspring. How… quaint."

"That woman? You mean my mother?" Truth ignored the boy as he was met with yet another surprise. The girl from earlier also rose from the cockpit of the machine. "Careful Ao! He's the intruder!" The boy snapped his head back in his direction with a look of surprise on his face.

He was, once again, confused. To his knowledge, the machine had been single pilot affair… and, now that he thought about it, it had also looked very different as well. He shook his head. _'No matter. How it operates is none of my concern as long as it serves its purpose.' _He looked over at the girl again. She was wearing an expression of caution on her face, but underneath he could see her fear, not for herself as much as the boy standing next to her. Seeing an opportunity, his lips curved upwards into a smirk.

"Get away from there!" He looked down to see a woman pointing a gun at him. He mentally chuckled. _'As if that will do anything to me.'_

"Get away from them this instant, or I'll-" She never had the chance to finish her sentence as she, Boyle, and many other workers were knocked far back by a large gust of wind.

"Fools… They think they can suppress the truth of this world and then they have the gall to challenge me?"

"Let's go!" Naru shouted, dragging Ao back into the cockpit and sealing it. The craft took off a moment later with Truth still hanging on.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Command and Analysis Room)**

"The Nirvash has made an emergency launch," an operator said from Stanley's side, "it's heading down Shaft 15 and nearing an exit tunnel."

'_This is a mess…' _"Guide them into the tunnel so they can make their escape," Stanley replied, "Close Gate A101 and open Gate A303."

"Yes sir!"

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Sky Dock; Cargo Loading Shaft 15)**

The two pilots grunted pulled what would probably be the sharpest turn of their career. They had almost no time to react as the passageway in front of them suddenly closed off and another one, to their left, opened up. Ignoring the strain put on their bodies by the G-forces, they pulled the joysticks as hard as they could, just barely managing to avoid scraping the paint off the Nirvash's bottom. After another few meters they were outside and zooming far away from the HQ. However, much to their surprise and displeasure, Truth was still hanging on to the space in front of the cockpit.

"So you're using _her _weapon against me, huh?" he spoke to them, somehow projecting his voice directly into the cockpit, "I don't know why you thought that would work, but if that's the case then…"

Saying no more, his form unmade itself and burst into a colossal and shadowy bat-like apparition before them. In the center of its "facial" area, it bore a grin painted in crimson light, signifying a demented form of amusement. Naru immediately gasped in recognition. _'No… It can't be!' _Before they knew what was happening, the apparition engulfed them, showering them in darkness.

**Collective Unconscious**

Naru slowly opened her eyes to find herself on a cliff overlooking the ocean. She looked back and forth, surveying the area; this place… it was… familiar somehow. She then tilted her head to the right and spotted a lighthouse, far off in the distance, and a coastal town a short ways away from it. Then, it hit her. _'I'm back on Iwato Island.' _She looked down at herself to find her body garbed in her casual clothing she would wear around the island rather than her company uniform or her pilot suit that she'd been wearing moments ago. She opened her mouth in an attempt to speak only to find that no sound escaped her lips. _'This must be a world of thought just like the Scub Coral… It's colder here, though… much colder...' _This place gave her an uneasy feeling, like everything was wrong in a way that couldn't adequately be described.

'_There's no need to be afraid Naru…' _Naru spun around and found Ao to be standing behind her… Or at least she thought it was Ao for a moment. It was almost a perfect replica of her best friend, but his face didn't have the same softness and he didn't hold the same light in his eyes among other small differences. Her eyes narrowed. _'You are not Ao. Why don't you show me who you really are?'_

The vision of Ao chuckled in amusement. _'I'm that transparent, huh?' _His form shifted and took the appearance of the intruder. _'Well, I couldn't fool you after all. I guess you're too enamored with that boy to ignore the differences between he and I.'_

Ignoring his musings, she disdainfully responded, _'What do you want? And who the hell are you anyway?'_

He shot her a look of mock hurt before continuing. _'I am the seeker of the truth of this world and I share its name, for I am also called Truth.'_

'_How creative.'_

'_As to what I want… I want to create a world of peace, free of the oppressions of the Secrets or the Scub Coral. I want to return the world to its natural state and stop the pain and suffering.'_

That caught her attention. How could a man who was as violent and destructive as this want to build a world of happiness and peace, unless he was lying… or insane. Even though she knew it was a silly thing to hope for, she couldn't help but keep listening to him.

'_You know who I am, don't you?' _The apparition sprang up behind him and he began to walk forward. Naru gasped and froze in place at the sight. _'… Sea… Giant…' _

'_That's right,' _he thought, cupping her cheek, _'I am the one who protected you all of those years ago.' _

He lifted his other hand to cup her other cheek. _'All I want is to fill the world with happiness. Won't you come and help me?' _

He brought their faces closer together; he was so close that she was staring directly into his oddly shaped yellow eyes and she could almost feel his lips brushing against hers. It was exhilarating and horrifying at the same time. _'We could save her, you know. We can prevent the Scub Burst from ever happening. That woman will never have arrived on the island and you can live a happy and quiet life with your family. Your mother doesn't have to die.'_

'_All you have to do is come and fly with me…'_

She instantly snapped out of her reverie and came to her senses. If Eureka never came to the island, then Ao would never be born and they would never know each other. He would never speak those wonderful words to her and she would never take his hand.

Before Truth could capture her lips in his own…

'_AGH!' _Truth was on the ground and the girl was standing over him, panting, with an arm spread flat across her chest. He hadn't anticipated this. It should have been easy for him to get her on his side, but she had fought back. She had struck him with all of her strength, knocking him over and causing several large cracks to appear in various places all around them as if the world around them was made of glass.

'_You're no Sea Giant!' _Her thoughts resounded loudly throughout the environment causing the cracks to widen further. _'The Sea Giant loves and protects people! How could you even bear to pose as him when you've caused the deaths of countless innocent people!' _The cracks grew even wider, nearly to their breaking point. _'No… You're not my Sea Giant. My Sea Giant has always been and will always be the protector of my best friend and his kind mother: Nirvash!'_

**Lauterbrunnen Airspace**

The environment around them shattered completely as Truth lost his grip on the minds of the two pilots who found themselves to be, once again, just outside the HQ. Almost nothing had changed and judging by the chronometer in the cockpit, only mere moments had passed since they entered the mental world. Not wanting to risk crashing into the cliffs in front of them, they halted all forward momentum and brought themselves to a stop.

Seeing Truth as subdued for the moment, as he was just floating in the air and looking bewildered, they took a moment to rest.

"Are you alright, Ao?" Naru asked, concerned. He had been nowhere to be found in her and Truth's mental exchange and she was worried at what could have happened to him.

"I should be asking you that question!" Naru was startled by his response. It was rather loud and he seemed quite agitated.

"What do you mean?"

"What happened with you two… I saw everything. He made me watch him try and take you away. The way he was touching your face… the way he was… he was going to-" Naru swore under her breath. She had hoped to put this entire incident behind her and move on, but apparently that wasn't an option right now. Quietly, she reached over and placed a hand over his, gripping it tightly. Caught off guard, he looked up at her face to find her smiling at him.

"I'm glad you were so worried about me, but I'm fine. I wasn't going to go with him because he claimed to be my defender and fed me an empty promise. I value what the Nirvash has given me… what you've given me more than what some… murderer can offer me."

Ao was about to respond when they received a sudden hit from the side. Looking out the view screens, they could see that Truth had shaken himself from his stupor and was now floating aside them. He looked as if he was seething with anger, or at least you got that impression from his facial expression.

They quickly took off to evade him, but he was quick to pursue and no matter how fast they went or how sharply they turned, he was able to continue pursuing them. The best they could do was dodge his energy blasts, an action that served to cause him further frustration. Then, he noticed it. Floating right in front of his face was an excess of green Trapar particles coming from every direction.

Suddenly, all of the Scub Coral in the area began to light up and release the familiar particles of light causing both parties to stop and observe this new phenomenon. From each cluster, a beam of light shot forth and all of them met at a central location in the skies high above. At this center-point, an orb of light formed and began to rapidly grow larger and larger with each passing moment, seemingly gathering clouds around itself in the process. At the culmination of its growth, it had taken on the appearance of a gigantic sphere of rotating clouds much to the wonder of everyone in the surrounding area. The entire event took only a few seconds to reach its end.

"W-What is this?" Truth stammered out. He thought he had seen everything that the world had to offer, so when an unknown variable like this cropped up, he had no choice but to feel fear.

All members of Génération Bleu who were watching the events unfold remained silent as a lone figure descended from the bottom of the sphere and came to rest in midair at the same level of altitude that Truth now held. Hoping to learn more about this anomaly, Truth flew toward the figure. Coming to a stop in front of the figure, he found it to be the translucent image of a man. His blue hair remained static, unaffected by the wind, as did his button-up shirt and slacks.

'_Hello Truth.' _The man's voice was projected directly into his head.

Immediately, Truth's mind flared in recognition once again. _'A young man, beaten down by his own inescapable destiny sits at the edge of the world with his only friend left by his side. They talk for ages and ages about anything and everything on their voyage. An opportunity to break the cycle is presented and the young man takes it, leaving his friend without an existence as he proceeds to leave his exile in the hopes that one day, all will be well again.' _Truth grips his head in pain as the vision presses itself on his pre-established memories. He looks back up at the man, whose expression had not changed from the smile he had presented in greeting.

"You!" he exclaimed, attempting to subdue the pain in his mind, "You hold the truth of this world within you! I don't know why I can see it in my mind, but I can! Who are you?!"

The man bowed deeply. _'I am that which cannot be defined by the dimensions of time and space. I am timeless, eternal. My name is Aeterna.'_

Truth couldn't quite place the cause, but a fury erupted deep within him. Maybe it was due to the pain he felt or maybe it was due to the fear, but he gained the increasing feeling that he couldn't let such a creature exist in this world. With as much knowledge as this man possessed, he couldn't risk the effect he could have on his perfect world. Ignoring the throbbing of his head, he launched several energy blasts at the translucent figure.

Aeterna shook his head as the volatile projectiles passed through him harmlessly. _'Such violent behavior. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to do this, but if I must, then I must.' _He then raised his arm skyward, pointing in the direction of the sphere.

To the astonishment of everyone other than Aeterna, hundreds of strange creatures began to pour out of the sphere and circle around the two men in a pair of intersecting rings. The beasts were indescribable. It was as if each one had a unique body type as there was very little consistency between them; many of them resembled bacteria or other microorganisms.

Truth couldn't afford to think such things, though, as he was trying to remove himself from unseen forces that were now holding him in restraint. With all of his strength, he tried to lift even one of his limbs, but he was meant with failure on each try. Aeterna continued to smile at him peacefully.

'_Do not try and fight it. There is no way to escape the power of the Antibodies.' _He placed a comforting hand on his shoulder despite the fact that he wouldn't be able to feel it. _'Now let us bring you to true peace.' _They began to ascend until they entered the cloud sphere. As soon as they breached its outer wall, Truth fell into a slumber devoid of dreams.

Soon, almost twenty minutes after its arrival, the Sphere collapsed in on itself, leaving no trace of it having existed in the first place. Science teams would be baffled by this for quite some time.

**Eglin Airforce Base (United States; Valparaiso, Florida)**

"Yes, he was recently sighted breaching Génération Bleu's headquarters," Major Nick Tanaka spoke into the receiver, "…No we don't know what happened to him. An unknown party intervened and took him with them. His current whereabouts are unknown… Yes we'll keep an eye out for him."

He swiveled his chair around from the window he had been looking out of back to his desk. "It seems our agent has successfully infiltrated the HQ… Yes, she says that she's been down there." He took a picture out of his drawer and stared at it intently from behind his thick sunglasses. The image of a humanoid shape could just barely be made out. "It seems that _Le Diable de la Rose _is indeed under the facility. Yes… We'll make our move eventually, but the timing must be right. Understood."

He hung up the phone and swiveled back around to look out the window once more.

**A/N:**

**Well this chapter was going to be longer, but I just felt like finishing this one. I'm not entirely happy with it, though, for reasons that I can't quite define. I'm okay with the beginning, but the end just irks me for some odd reason. I'll fix it in the rewrite I guess. To any who are wondering, the woman who appears before Aeterna in this chapter is making her first appearance, so she is not the one who was with him in the previous chapters in case you were getting any funny ideas about me. It was nice to write a chapter that was almost entirely without action for once. I always feel as if I'm not descriptive enough when it comes to that. Oh well. As always, send me an idea if you have one and please point out any grammatical or spelling mistakes. I've got a good feeling here; I think I know what I want to do with this fic now.**

**UPDATE: Well a lot of the above paragraph was rendered null by the fact that the chapter is longer now. Not much more to say really other than I was kind of mean to Truth in the remainder of this chapter. Serves him right for being pointless to the plot of the original anime and a terrible character to boot. Next time, I mess around with Ao's hormones because it seems appropriate to me after the *ahem* events of this chapter. I'm sorry about this, by the way, and I'll try to never do this again and just write a new chapter instead. **


	9. Setting Goals

**A/N: Yeah, I made you guys wait a while, didn't I? Sorry about that. As I've stated on my profile, I got a new computer at the end of April and Office wasn't installed, plus I lost the product key which means that I have to buy it again, unfortunately. Other than that, I was mostly cooling off from last school year which made me feel like I was dying inside every day of the week. Anyway, it shouldn't be a problem writing as I should have Office back by mid-August so there won't be nearly as big a delay as there was this time. Anyhow, now we're at episode 8 by the anime and it's time for the Faisal Arabia sequence.**

**Disclaimer: This franchise and its characters belong to BONES Animation Studios**

"Speech" /_ 'Thoughts'_

**Collective Unconscious**

The soft fabric of his clothes was whipped by the dark wind through which he was traversing. He took each step with the appropriate amount of caution, careful not to be swept away in the swirling blackness. A light is visible in the distance; his destination appeared faintly before but grew brighter and brighter as he progressed further towards it. Now, only a few meters from his grasp, he reached out for the light, desperate to feel its warmth once again. Before he could touch it, however, the gales that were painfully buffeting him intensified tremendously. Against his will, he was pushed back a great distance before his feet left the ground and he was violently ejected from the area all together. The force was so strong that he lost consciousness before he even touched the ground again.

**The Zone**

"Hey, wake up. Wake up!"

Aeterna felt himself being lightly shaken as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing to meet his vision upon awakening was a woman whose hair and eyes mirrored his own, though she was of greater stature than he. She gripped his hand tightly as she pulled him up onto his feet.

"You were out for quite a while. I was beginning to worry," she spoke softly as she crossed her hands behind her back.

He quickly surveyed his condition and found that everything still worked with no adverse effects present. "No need to worry. I'm perfectly fine."

"As far as you can tell. So, how did it go this time?"

"Obviously, I failed once again. Every time I even get close to reaching the inner facets of his personality, he goes on the defensive." He rubbed the back of his head brusquely, in frustration. "The man I once knew is still there, but he's buried under so much hatred and insanity that I can't reach him."

She lowered her eyes. "I can't help but feel sorry for him knowing that this is partially my fault, but we can't keep him any longer."

"No, we should keep trying. Think of what an asset he could be! If I could just-"

"She's right, love." He turned his head slightly to see their other companion approaching them: A woman of equal size to him with bright, blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. "If we keep him for much longer, then we'll be past the point of no return. Everything we've worked for will have been for nothing. It's best if we just wipe his memory and let him go."

"I know, _ma cherie_, I know. It's just… I wanted for him to released from this curse of his."

"That might still be a possibility, you know. Nothing is certain when it comes to him."

"Yes… I hope so, but, for now, you're right. We should release him."

Moments later, the ground between the three of them opened and from the hole rose the body of the man they'd captured a few days ago, Truth, on white Scub tendrils. Aeterna kneeled down and placed a single hand on the man's chest and the two seemingly faded out of existence as the tendrils retracted and the ground closed once more.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Business District, Empty Office Building)**

"Right this way, sirs," said the attendant, waving them through the door that he had just opened. The three men stepped into the spacious room and proceeded to examine this new environment. To their right was a window giving them a great view of the city as they were quite high up. To the left was a blank wall with an electronic notice board and two doors on either side; one read "Lounge" and the other read "Bathroom." Behind them, adjacent to the door they entered through, were holographic map projectors and in front of them was two more doors that read "Administrator's Office" and "Monitor Room. Finally, in the center of the room, was a large, trapezoidal table where the company's President now sat, chuckling softly at the men's stares.

"Like what you see, gentlemen?"

"What is this?" Gazelle asked with a hint of disdain in his voice.

Blanc held his arms up. "Why, it's your new workplace, of course! We set up this office specifically for your needs."

"Workplace, huh?" he said, tapping his forehead, "I guess that means you guys are finally putting us to work."

"Yes," the man replied with a frown, "After the recent terrorist attack, we decided it would be best to accelerate our timetable."

"However," he continued, standing up off the table, "allow me to show you around before we get to what you're doing."

Walking over to the door labeled "Lounge," he opened it to reveal a spacious rec. room with many options for entertainment and relaxation. "We set this up for you when you have downtime or you need to take a rest. Just be sure to focus on your jobs or I'll have it sealed off."

He then directed them to the "Administrator's Office." Inside was a large semicircular desk with three holocomputers on it and several filing cabinets sitting adjacent the back wall which was actually another window giving off a nice view of the city. "This was designed as your personal office, Mr. Gazelle. Please make good use of it."

"That depends on the job, you know?"

"Of course, but please, there's one more room to see and I believe Mr. Juno will appreciate this one." At last, they reached the "Monitor" room and entered to reveal a large room with a chair and a control panel mounted at the end of a platform that they were now on. The actual room extended much further horizontally and vertically, rounding off at a certain distance away from the chair. It gave the feeling of being in the center of an observatory or planetarium turned on its side. "This room was designed specifically with Mr. Juno's computer expertise in mind. The entire room is a projection screen with many holographic interfaces and data feeds that can be viewed at any time. Go ahead and give it a try."

"Gladly." Intrigued by the room's nature, Han took a seat in the chair. Instantly, the control panel came to life and glowed blue, waiting for input. Not entirely sure what to do, he tapped a few of the keys which caused the entire room to dim and the gigantic screen that was the circular wall of the room to whir into action, instantly providing him with a wealth of information on anything he typed in. "This is amazing! How did you possibly get a setup like this?!"

Blanc smiled at the young man's bewilderment. "We have our ways, Mr. Juno. I should also mention that the OS has been designed to be very efficient for hacking."

"Hacking?"

"Another one of our counter-terrorism efforts after the attack. What with all the advanced military technology circulating around these days, there could be any number of groups out there waiting for the chance cut off our heads and burn the stumps. So, to ensure our safety, we must have an advantage of our own. All of our battleships and IFOs are now being equipped with wireless Hacking Modules that should allow easy access to any number of devices in the area."

"So, I'll be expected to participate in operations from now on?"

"When your services are required, yes. Otherwise, you are to continue working on our primary goal."

"You still haven't exactly told us what that goal is yet," Gazelle pointed out.

"Ah, yes. We should get to that shouldn't we?"

He led them all back into the original room and to the table. He gestured for them all to take a seat as he recovered a briefcase from a man at the door before closing it and locking it behind him. He then sat down himself and placed the briefcase on the table.

"Now, listen carefully gentlemen. There are only five people in the entire company that are aware of the information that I am about to reveal to you. You've all signed non-disclosure agreements when we formally inducted you into the company. If this information leaves this room, then the highest penalties will be exacted immediately. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Boss. We can keep a secret. Am I right, boys?"

"Y-Yes," Pippo said hesitantly. "Of course," Han said sounding calm to hide his nerves. _'More secrets, huh? That's just wonderful.'_

"Good," Blanc said, taking his hands off of the briefcase, "Now, Mr. Gazelle, tell me, do you remember a man named Johansson?"

"Johansson," he replied, scratching the back of his head, "Wasn't he a Scub scientist? Yeah, he was the one who discovered TRA wasn't he?"

Blanc nodded. "Yes, that's correct. Now, do you remember some of the more controversial topics surrounding him?"

"Um… I know that he committed suicide, but that's about it."

"Hmm… Well, there are two more important things to note about that man. The first is that he had a son. He wasn't any ordinary kid, though." He pulled up a holographic picture and slid it across the table to him. Picking it up, he was able to see exactly what Blanc was talking about. Johansson, a pudgy man, was very recognizable in the background and standing in front of him was a small child with teal-colored hair and you could barely make it out, but it appeared as if he had yellow irises.

"Adopted?" he questioned, looking back up.

"Yes, but no official papers according to our research. We did, however, figure out the location that he originated from. You see, Johansson was visiting Iwato Jima at the time of the Scub Burst and he left a few days after the event with that boy under his care."

"Iwato?! You mean that that boy came from our island?"

"I'm not sure what is fact and what isn't when it comes to Iwato. So many mysterious things have happened there that it all gets muddled when we try to investigate further. Anyhow, there's one other important thing to note with Johansson."

"What's that?"

"According to many sources, the man openly stated that he travelled to this world with the Scub Coral from another one. We cannot confirm this as the man has birth records and many others that you would typically find when investigating someone else's life. Such things are easily fabricated these days, though…"

"He really said that? It's a wonder he wasn't committed!"

"Well, if technology can be transported from one world to the next by Scub Coral, then why not people? Back to the original point, though, Johansson was a very eccentric man and there are many things that even we don't know about him and even more that the public isn't aware of. You were talking about his suicide earlier? That is a lie spread by Big Blue World.

"What? He's still alive, then?"

"We don't know. The truth is that he disappeared without a trace. We have no idea what happened to him, which brings us to the point of this discussion."

Finally, he opened the briefcase to reveal 8 rectangular objects incased in the mesh interior. 4 were on the top half of the case and 4 were on the bottom. "These are hard drives that contain portions of his research and all of them are dated as being created after the date of his disappearance."

Gazelle raised an eyebrow and folded his hands in front of his face. "I assume that this is the primary objective that you were talking about?"

"Yes, we find one every once in a while around the areas where the Scub Coral and Secrets appear. In addition to obtaining the Quartz, each team is charged with combing the area in an attempt to find one of these, though only the crew chief of each team knows about its true nature. Collectively, we call it 'Johansson's Book' and each unit is known as a 'Page'." He took one from the case and held it up. "This is the most recent one. We found it during that operation in Columbia a month ago."

"What will our job be, exactly?"

Blanc sighed before continuing. "Admittedly, we never managed to get very far into the data. These drives are heavily encrypted and none of our employees managed to break into them entirely. That's where we were hoping that Mr. Juno could be of assistance."

"Me?" Han said, surprised.

"Yes. You've broken into quite a variety of systems according to your background. Considering what you've already done for us, we have confidence that you'll be able to get into these as well."

"What do you need us for then?" Gazelle asked, regarding to himself and Pippo.

"You two will assist in retracing Johansson's steps. These drives should contain his personal notes as well as his research. You'll be travelling to any locations listed in them and searching for more Pages and other things that could be of assistance. We're hoping that anything you find combined with the research contained within the Book will help us to create an effective weapon to use against the Secrets."

Gazelle closed his eyes and tapped his forehead a couple of times in thought. _'They seem to think highly of this Book of theirs, don't they? I wonder why…'_

He opened his eyes again. "You don't seem like the type of man to put this much faith in something unless it was justified. Why do you think the Book is going to help you so much?"

Blanc closed his eyes and smirked. "Originally we didn't think too much of the Book. We gave it high credence because of Johansson's accomplishments in the field of Scub Research. It wasn't until we dug up his travel records that we truly became intrigued." He pulled up a list from the table and slid it across to Gazelle before swiveling around in his chair and resting his elbows on the table. "These are locations he travelled to shortly before his disappearance. Notice anything interesting?"

Gazelle scanned the list looking for similarities. At first, the locations seemed random, but suddenly his memory flared up and the answer quickly came to his mind. "These are Scub Burst sites! All of them!"

Blanc swiveled back around. "Exactly. He travelled to each famous Scub Burst site a few days before the Burst actually happened. Each residence he stayed at was within minimum safe distance of the explosion and he took a lot of unidentifiable scientific equipment with him. We suspect it was custom-made. Now, how do you suppose he knew where each major Scub Burst site was with enough time to plan a trip to each location and arrive days before the actual event?"

Gazelle was at a loss for words.

Blanc let off a light chuckle. "That's not all. The reason we're accelerating the timetable is also related to this." He pulled up yet another picture and slid it to Gazelle. He recognized it immediately; it was the terrorist that had attacked a few days ago.

"Why don't you compare those two photos you've got there?"

He looked down at the two photos, that of the boy and that of the man, and saw the connection immediately. The two were actually one in the same. He sat back in his chair and began to rub his temples at the rush of information he'd just received.

"Now do you recognize the importance of your job, Mr. Gazelle?"

"Yes, I do," he replied, not taking his hand off of his head.

"Good. I trust you'll get to work soon, but you may have the rest of the day off." Blanc thought for a second. "You know what? Take tomorrow off too."

He got up, picked up the briefcase, and walked over to a seemingly blank space on the wall. Turning to the men, he said, "Watch closely at what I'm about to do." He then pressed the bottom-right corner of one of the wall panels and a small device slid out. He leaned in close to the device and it proceeded to take a scan of his retina. Upon finishing, the wall panel slid open to reveal a large safe with a digital lock. He then proceeded to place his thumb on an indentation on the lock. Within seconds, it took a blood sample and unlocked and opened, allowing him to place the briefcase inside. "Your retinal patterns and DNA have been logged in the company's database and you've been given authorization to use the safe. The scanners have been designed to read even the slightest variations in your retinas and DNA which ensure that you must be both alive and awake in order to unlock the safe," he informed them as he closed the entire assembly back up.

He then walked over to the door and unlocked it. Just as he was about to proceed out, he turn around and looked at them. He had a serious expression on his face; it was probably the first one they'd seen throughout their entire experience at the company so far. "Good luck, gentlemen. This business pays well, but we don't want this to last forever by any means." With that said, he walked out the door and it slid shut behind him, leaving the three of them alone in the room.

Han said nothing, got up, and entered the Monitor Room. Pippo's head collapsed onto the table and he murmured something along the lines of "at least we get a couple of days off." Gazelle just leaned back and placed his hands behind his head.

"Things just got a lot more complicated," he said, closing his eyes, "That man… Just what is he up to?"

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Residential District)**

Ao looked up and tapped his chin a couple of times. "Eh… What was it? Gah! I can't remember!" Frantically, he looked around everywhere trying to recall the inconsequential bit of information that had no bearing on his current job. Unable to stimulate his mind, he gave up and tapped the box that checked the answer that was most likely correct. _'I'm probably going to miss it anyway…'_

He was currently taking an online test on the tablet issued to him by the company. The president was "kind" enough to require that all pilots take an online schooling program set up by the company so that they could function as normal human beings upon retirement or termination from the company. At least he didn't have to go to regular schools, which did exist within the city, as he'd probably get ostracized for his features.

Finishing the test to the best of his ability, he closed up the test and lied back down on his bed, placing his hands behind his head. He looked over to his right to find his precious picture sitting on his nightstand next to a lamp. He picked it up and brought it over his chest. Slowly tracing his hand over the frame, he thought, _'Mother… I wonder what you had to go through when you were here… One day, I'll find you. Wait for me okay?'_

Placing the picture back on the nightstand, he rolled over and closed his eyes in an attempt to get some rest. Soon after, he was interrupted by his doorbell ringing. Sighing, he quickly stood up and trudged over to his front door to open it. His eyes widened and he averted them slightly at seeing Naru, dressed in casual clothing, behind the door.

"Hey. Mind if I come in?" she asked casually.

'_Yes.' _"No, not at all." He stepped out of the way so that she could come in.

Walking in, she gave a small look of surprise before sighing. "I forgot how empty it was…"

Indeed, his apartment was full of mostly the basic necessities required to live, but as his family history was ambiguous at this point, he really didn't have any personal effects to call his own. The only thing he could really lay claim to was his mother's photo.

Walking over to a chair and sitting down, she said, "So, how was your test?"

Leaning against his counter, he sighed. "I probably failed it."

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

"I'm sure you did fine."

"Maybe…"

Silence.

Her expression showed her concern. "Ao… Is there… Is there something wrong? I haven't seen you much the past few days and you seem down…"

He rubbed the back of his neck and kept his eyes half-lidded. "It's… a personal issue. I can sort it out by myself."

She got up. "Are you sure? You know I'm always here."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Well, alright… I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'll see you around." She began to walk out and when she was almost to the door, she stumbled a bit and began to cough into her wrist, placing a hand on the wall to support her.

Running over to her, he placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned in close to her face. "Are you alright?" he asked, frantically.

After a few moments, she was able to stifle her cough and reply. "I'm… fine…" she said, still wheezing, "I've just… caught a little cough. That's all. I'll be fine."

She walked out the door, but before she left, she turned to look at him.

"Hey Ao," she said, smiling brightly, "I don't know what has you down, but try to cheer up, won't you? For me?"

His mood brightened a little and he did his best to return her smile. "Yeah, I'll try. For you."

She gave him a sideways nod and left the doorway. He closed the door behind her before pressing up against the wall and sliding down it until he was in the sitting position with his arms slumped at his sides.

She was in his thoughts constantly these days. His mind kept flashing back to the incident from a few days ago. He almost lost her to that… that monster and what was worse was that she almost agreed to go with him. And all he could do was watch from the shadows. Despite her reassurances, he was still worried that something like this could happen again and it wouldn't turn out as favorable the second time.

Ao sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He shouldn't be acting like this, but he couldn't help it. When it came to Naru, nothing was more important to him than her safety. _'I really haven't changed at all have I?' _he mused to himself. Reluctantly, he rose to his feet and walked out the door himself.

There was at least one person who would understand how he felt.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (IFO Hangers)**

Usually Boyle and his crews were in here shouting at each other and performing maintenance on the group's IFOs, but his team took a mandatory lunch break this time of day which gave him ample opportunity to stroll in here. It wouldn't matter much if he was caught; all they would do is shove him off, but he wanted to be here right now so he kept quiet and did his best not to get noticed through the open window. Luckily, Boyle's team was a jolly one, much like Bruno's, so they were constantly enthralled in conversation.

Walking up to it, Ao placed a hand on the Nirvash and its cockpit opened up automatically as usual. He quickly hopped inside and shut the hood before anyone was the wiser. Finding himself in the one place in the world where he definitely felt safe, he allowed himself to relax and stretch a little.

The Nirvash, always excited to see him, greeted him in the only way it could: sending him feelings of joy and happiness at his arrival.

He smiled at its response. "Hey, kid. It's good to see you too." With the raw emotional responses that the Nirvash gave, he couldn't help but address it as a child. It felt natural too, as if it was something he'd always done.

_Agreement… Concern_

He looked down at his feet. Of course it would know. He was connected with it telepathically, so what did he expect? "That's okay. You don't have to worry about me."

_Disagreement and Disappointment_

"Don't be like that! It's just… what happened a few days ago."

_Understanding_

"I… I worry about her. What if it happens again? I couldn't do anything last time…"

_Understanding and Reassurance_

"There's too much I don't know about what's going on to be sure of that. Why won't he tell me? Do you know anything?"

_Denial and Assurance of Trust_

"I still trust you. You're an irreplaceable friend to us both, you know?"

_Joy_

"I don't know if I still trust him, though. He did bring us together and he told me about the company and warned me about Truth, but I know he still knows more than he wants to tell me. Whenever I ask him about what he is and where he came from, he waves off the question and tells me I won't understand or I'll find out for myself. It's frustrating."

_Comfort_

"Thanks… You don't… tell him things, do you?"

_Indignation_

"Sorry, sorry! I was just asking." He sighed a little, but chuckled soon after. "I guess I'm just going to have to get strong enough to prevent something like that incident from ever happening again, aren't I?"

_Confidence and Optimism_

"Thanks for saying so, but personally I think Gazelle might be rubbing off on me." They shared a laugh or whatever the Nirvash's equivalent was before settling down. Afterward, Ao pulled out a book, a plain old paper book, and cracked it open. "We still have a while before Boyle comes back. Do you mind if I hang around here until then?"

_Neutrality_

With that said, he dove into his book and engaged in the diversion for the rest of the hour.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Residential District)**

Naru was beginning to feel better. After leaving Ao's apartment, she'd grown unbearably nauseous and had to lie down for a while. Getting up, she walked over to her bathroom to take some more medicine. She took a couple of pills and poured a dark red mixture into a plastic cup and as she brought it to her lips, she caught a glance of her face in the mirror. She paused for a moment before proceeding to down the foul liquid.

Finishing it off, she put the cup down. She hesitated for a moment before looking in the mirror again and brushing her long dark strands out of her face. _'There's something different isn't there?' _She examined her face thoroughly, but could find nothing. _'Great. I'm imagining things.'_

Walking out of the bathroom, she surveyed her apartment. It wasn't all that different from Ao's though she had taken the time to decorate it with mementos from her home. She grinned as she remembered her family back at home. She missed them terribly, but she knew her place was here just as anyone else who worked here.

Naru walked into her kitchen and was hit with a sudden reminder. _'Oh yeah, this place is rather empty isn't it? I need to go out and buy some things.' _ Grabbing some cash, she walked out the door and headed for the shopping center.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Shopping District)**

Making sure she'd bought everything she needed for at least a couple of weeks, she began to walk home, bags in hand.

"Ah! Naru!" She looked left to find Fleur sitting at a small outdoor café. Deciding it couldn't hurt to make a minor stop on the way back, she walked up to the older girl's table.

"Shopping?" she asked politely, looking up from her tablet that she appeared to be fiddling with.

"Yeah, just a few groceries to make sure I don't starve."

Fleur gave a gesture of affirmation and went back to messing with her tablet. Naru turned to look in the direction of her apartment in the Residential District. _'It's not that far away…'_ Making up her mind, she set her bags down on the ground and took a seat across from the other girl. She looked back up and raised an eyebrow at this development.

"You know, we've trained together and fought together a lot by this point, but we've never just sat down and talked, have we?" Naru said, resting her head on her hand.

"No," Fleur replied, powering off her tablet and setting it down, "I guess we haven't. What do you want to talk about?"

She shook her head lightly. "I don't know. Anything." She thought for a moment. "Tell me about yourself."

Fleur looked down. "About myself, huh? I'm afraid there's not much to tell. I'm half French on my mother's side and half Swiss on my… father's side."

"Your father is the company president, right?"

She gave a smile filled with bitterness. "Not as opaque as I'd like, unfortunately. Yes, he is. The Secrets have been around for hundreds of years, you know. So, it was just moi and Maman back when I was a child in my native country. _Father_ was off trying to build his anti-Secret company and I only saw him on holidays and… when Maman died."

"So, why are you a pilot? Why would he approve of that?" Naru asked, trying to change the subject. She was trying to befriend the girl, not dredge up old memories.

"He approves because I've proven myself capable. As to why I'm a pilot, maybe you'll know one day. I've only told Elena and that's because she is practically ma sœur, my sister, at this point."

"It's okay; I understand. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

"I know, it's just… Let's talk about something else. I told you a bit about myself so why don't you return the favor?"

Naru breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright, though I'm not that much more interesting to talk about. I've lived on Iwato my whole life and it wasn't until you guys came along, that I left."

Fleur nodded. "That's a common story for most of us, but go ahead."

"I lived happily with Ao until the Great Okinawan Scub Burst happened when I was four. My mother died in the destruction it caused and I suffered from TRA as a result of the high Trapar in the area which would have killed me in a few years."

She felt something touching her hand that was resting on the table and looked up to see that Fleur had covered it with her own. "I'm sorry," she said sympathetically, "I know how you must have felt."

"It's okay," Naru returned, "It's hard, but I think… I'm ready to move on. It's been to long for me to dwell on it now."

"I wish I was that strong… Please, continue. I shouldn't have interrupted."

"It's fine. Anyway, after that I continued to live with my family on the island, and…"

Fleur tilted her head to the side. "What?"

She held an anxious expression on her face. "You'll think I'm crazy."

The older girl let out a chuckle. "Please, after the things I've seen you two do, I already think you're crazy."

"Well… after I caught the disease, I began to have these… visions of things … bad things happening and then a few days later, they would happen. Some of the islanders declared me a Yuta, a priestess and followed my visions almost religiously. It was pretty scary to be honest."

"You can see the future?" Fleur asked, skeptically.

She shook her head. "Not anymore. I traded that to get my lungs working again, though I can still see forward a few seconds to anticipate enemy attacks."

"THAT'S why you guys did so good in the Combat Sim!" she exclaimed, snapping her fingers

Her energy made Naru grin. "No, that wasn't me. Computers are too complex to anticipate so I had to rely on teamwork and skill to get through the Sim courses. Your advice was a big help too, of course. Thanks again."

Fleur blushed a little at that comment. "It was nothing…"

Laughing at her reaction, Naru checked her mobile for the time and saw it was getting late. "I've got to go. It's about time for me to feed Noah and I don't want to be late. Bad things happen when I'm late." She got up and was about to say goodbye when Fleur caught her wrist.

She looked down at the hand that held hers and back up at Fleur. "What is it?"

Her elder pilot looked off to the side for a moment before meeting her gaze once again. "What really happened at Iwato?"

Naru's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I've read both of the reports that you two filed. I know that there was more going on than you let on. Can't you tell me the truth? What happened?"

"At Iwato… we made contact with the Scub and it changed us. That's all I can say."

"Surely there's more!" Her grip tightened.

"You don't trust me enough to tell me about your family or your mother's death."

It wasn't a question; it was a statement. In an instant she was no longer holding her junior pilot's wrist and instead was holding her own.

"I want us to trust each other, to be friends. You don't have to reveal all of your secrets to me here, but you must understand that I can't do the same either."

Fleur couldn't think of anything to say. _'I should probably apologize, but I don't know what I could say…'_

The younger girl shook her head and smiled. "Thanks for talking with me today. We should do it again sometime later."

"Yeah… Sometime later…"

Signaling the end of the conversation, Naru picked up her bags and continued on her way home leaving Fleur to sit back down and sigh.

"Problems?" a tired voice asked from her left. She looked over to find a tired looking Gazelle drinking possibly the darkest coffee she'd ever seen.

"Yeah… You too?"

"No, not really. We just got a big assignment from the President. Just thinking about it makes me feel exhausted."

That made her frown. "He's not treating you guys fairly, is he? I hate that man…"

He took another sip of his coffee. "Dad problems, huh? You're definitely not alone in that department."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well let's see… You hate your dad, for starters; Elena doesn't have a real dad right now; I used to hate my own father for selling out my country, we still don't get along by the way; Naru doesn't get along to well with her dad; and Ao hates his dad too. It's not my place to tell you about those last two. You'll have to get it from them. Anyway, that answer your question?" All of this was said as he was counting his points on his fingers.

Fleur looked at him wide-eyed. "I… I… I had no idea that you guys…"

Gazelle just waved her off. "Don't sweat it, kid. We all have to get over it someday and I stopped hating my dad a while ago. You'll do it too and you'll either forgive the man or you'll pity him."

She was surprised that a man like this could give her any kind of advice worth taking. "I misjudged you. You're a lot smarter than you look."

"…and you're a lot more masculine than you look, but we all have to compromise somewhere, don't we?" He took a long sip from his mug while he waited for it.

"HEY!" Now was the time for running.

**Faisal Arabia (New Mecca)**

It was an high noon time in the town and the streets were bustling with activity. Many people were returning from midday worship. Many citizens walked the streets to buy fresh food and supplies while others tended to animals in the outskirts of the city and even within the city itself. People of all ages could be seen touring the open alleyways and roads, many on their pilgrimage to visit the holy city. Yes, even if the rest of the country was alight with rage, this was a place where all could go to find peace.

All of it was destroyed within minutes. A gigantic beam of light appeared in the sky and engulfed the whole city in a myriad of multicolored light. One could not stop to appreciate its beauty, however, as soon after a humongous cropping of Scub Coral crossed the barrier between dimensions and fell directly on top of the city. Hundreds were crushed by its enormous girth and even more were injured by debris and other objects that were thrown away from the impact sight. Clouds of dust filled the air restricting the ability to see and the ability to breath. Yes, the people were suffering and it would continue for years to come.

The governments of the world would not care for the people, however, they would be anticipating the arrival of the sword they would use to strike down this rebellious country that would dare stand against them. They were waiting for the bringer of death, the Secret.

**Eglin Airforce Base (Underground Facility)**

The white room's double doors automatically opened to reveal a black haired man dressed in typical military attire with single silver bars marking his rank . In his arm was a small bundle of roses. He strolled down the ramp leading to the other side of the room, ignoring the many rows of doctors and researchers sitting at various computer terminals who, aside from the most junior level members who would glance at him from time to time, were doing the same to him. Reaching the bottom, he walked a short distance to reach the opposite side of the room from the entrance and his destination: a cylindrical tank standing upright with large machines on either side of it. The oddest aspect of this setup was a small table, which held a vase of flowers atop it, sitting in front of the tank and undisturbed by the workers.

Taking out a small bag, the man removed the wilting flowers and replaced them with the fresh ones after cutting their stems. He placed the waste in the bag before walking over to the front of the tank and placing a hand on the curved glass. The Purple liquid hid what was within, but he knew… better than anyone, he knew. Removing his hand, he made his way up the ramp and promptly exited the room.

As soon as he was out, he was met with a face that he wasn't particularly interested in seeing at the moment.

"Come to visit_ La Rose _again, Mr. Brooks?" Tanaka remarked as he leaned against the wall of the narrow hallway.

"Is there something I need to be informed of, Major, or are you just here to annoy me yet again?" Brooks asked, managing to keep his cool. He was, after all, under surveillance.

Nick laughed. Prodding this man did give him pleasure on a baser level, but he would never push too far; as damning as it would be for Brooks, a beating never felt good to anyone. "I just thought I'd inform you that the Flintlock passed final inspection and is being loaded into The Roosevelt as we speak. We'll be deploying her into combat at the next possible juncture."

Brooks stared at him with an unchanging expression. "You can't be talking about Faisal Arabia. They'd never allow it."

Nick crossed his arms. "Of course not. However, we have spotted some rather odd activity in Japan lately. We think they might be planning something nasty."

"Let's hope not." He continued past Tanka and left the hallway.

He chuckled at the man's demeanor. "You know that it has to happen, Brooks. She'll fight or you'll die, simple as that."

**A/N: Some of you might have noticed that the pacing is slower than it was in previous chapters. That was intentional. I was going pretty fast and if I'd continued at such a pace, I wouldn't be able to do all that I want to do before we reach the Polaris Plan which is the point where I start to make the largest changes. So the next chapter is going to be focused on the development of Fleur and the battle with the Paper Crane/Coffin Secret. I don't know if I'll do another chapter entirely without action, but the plan is to have a little less action now that the beginning is out of the way. I also used this chapter to establish and reestablish a lot of things which I hope will help me with writing future chapters. I was going to wait till later to reveal Johansson's Book and the Gazelle Admin Office, but I figured that I should make them do something so there ya go. Please tell me if the conversations were unrealistic as the way they are is just the way I imagined them. I'd be willing to change anything for the benefit of the story so, if there are any glaring issues, please tell me and if you have any ideas of things that I could or should improve upon, go ahead and message me. I'm open to any ideas as always. Again, I apologize for the wait which was mostly my fault and hopefully nothing will get in the way from now on though I doubt it.**

**I'm not usually the one to recommend music, but I like to listen to the Russian Roulette theme from the Killer 7 soundtrack when thinking or writing about casual conversation. It's relaxing in an odd way. The Residence theme is also very good. But enough about my musical preferences. On to the next chapter.**


	10. Daddy Issues

**A/N: So, unsurprisingly, I was hit with that horrible demon that haunts us all: Writer's Block. I had NO idea how to start this chapter and it took me the longest time to finally collect my thoughts and put this together. So, again, I must apologize for taking much longer than I should have.**

**Disclaimer: This series and its characters belong to BONES Animation Studios**

"Speech"/_'Thoughts'_

**Ólafsfjörður Plant Coral (Norðurland eystra, Iceland)**

Truth groaned as he awoke on a very lumpy surface. His entire body was as stiff as a board and he could hear several of his bones pop as he began to sit up and stretch. It was an odd sensation that he'd not experienced before. The relief that it brought him was… palpable in his opinion. Finally rising to his feet, he took a survey of his surroundings while holding a hand above his eyes to keep the glare of the bright, midday sun clear from his vision.

From the top of the Coral he was standing on, he could only see mountains surrounding him with the exception of a small town nestled on a river nearby. It was odd, though… With his advanced senses, he could neither see nor hear any signs of activity. Against his better judgment, he decided to investigate.

Landing in the middle of town, he let out a short breath before scanning the environment around him. He glanced around until something odd met his eyes. At his feet was a charred corpse… and not too far was another and another. He whipped his head all around and all he found was corpse after corpse. Looking up, he found the vast night sky shaded with the orange flames engulfing the buildings around him. Through the shimmering heat, a gargantuan humanoid shape was visible, staring at him with its deep green eyes.

The sight was enough to bring him to his knees in fear and grief. His vision flooded red with bloody tears, for the victims of this tragedy, the pain causing him to cover his eyes. They began to whisper in his ear, accusing him, threatening him, tearing apart his very existence. He threw back his head and screamed in agony.

"Truth."

He leaned forward again. No blood, no bodies, no flames. All was peaceful on this day, but the only one around was this ghost of a man before him, looking down on him and pitying him like some kind lost pup. It made him sick.

"Come to interfere with my plans again?" he snarled, "Because you seem exceptionally good at it."

Aeterna gave a soft chuckle before replying. "No. You're entirely free to act as you wish."

Truth's raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"My only wish was to view your intentions and in doing so, I found my plans coincide with yours. You may proceed as if we never met and expect no further interference."

"However…" Aeterna said, staring him directly in the eye, "the girl is to be left alone. If she's taken from the boy, he'll lose the will to do what must be done and I don't think either of us want that, do we?"

*wink*

By this point, Truth could identify the underlying threat. "No, we don't…"

Aeterna closed his eyes and nodded. "Good. Now, I'm afraid we both have business to attend to. If you keep your word, then we'll be seeing each other again much later after 'it' is created. Good luck and, remember… I'll be watching." Giving one last bow, he seemingly faded from existence.

Truth began to rub his temples and let out a large groan. "Damn it!" he yelled, punching a nearby wall.

'_If I want to keep my head, it'll be a lot harder to manipulate that kid now,' _he thought, rubbing his knuckles, _'I'll just have to improvise, I guess. I'll figure it out later; for now, it's time to light the "Firecracker." Hope you're ready, Nakamura, you sheep.'_

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Gazelle Administration, Monitor Room)**

Han had decided to get to work early that day. Gazelle and Pippo were nowhere to be seen, of course; the two were never ones to pass up a day off, but he, personally, didn't have anything to do today other than editing last night's security footage which was already taken care of this morning. The Pages weren't in any sort of order so, once he retrieved it from the wall safe, he picked the first one he laid eyes on and linked it to his holographic interface. Within minutes he had turned a paler than a Siberian winter.

Collapsing on his keyboard, his thoughts had exploded. _'Why did I have to take this job? Why did I decide to come to work today? There is NO WAY that I would have taken this job if I KNEW that I would have had to decode encryptions coded entirely with the WORST language I've ever had to learn! It's complex too… How am I supposed to finish all 8 of these within my lifetime, let alone before Earth is destroyed by the Secrets?'_

"Um… I suppose this is a good time to make an introduction…?"

Han lifted his head and looked around, but found no one else in the room. "Who said that?"

A small face suddenly popped up on the screen directly in front of him. "Greetings! My name is Georg. I've been assigned to help you with your duties when not assisting in our military actions."

His eyes narrowed. "You're an Artificial Intelligence?"

"I'm glad you asked! I was designed specifically with war in mind. My specialty is strategic development and information gathering, but in your case I believe I can exercise my ability of advanced calculation!"

He leaned in close and gave a smile dripping with malice, though not necessarily directed at the boisterous AI. "And are you aware of what our task is, Georg?"

"No… not exactly, Mr. Juno. What are we going to be doing?"

He sat back with a disgruntled look on his face. "Well, my new friend, we're going to be deciphering all possible data in 8 hard drives such as the one that's plugged in right now."

"Alright… What's the issue?"

"Unfortunately, it's coded in… UNLAMBDA." A cold breeze suddenly passed through the room, causing the hairs on Han's neck to stand up, and a teardrop shape appeared on Georg's virtual forehead.

"Oh…" Georg replied shakily.

Suddenly, a video call went off, potentially saving them both from pain for a time. He opened the communication to be met with Blanc's face.

"Ah, Mr. Juno! Glad to see that you have initiative! Unfortunately, I'm afraid you'll have to put off your work for now. Another secret has just appeared in Faisal Arabia and we need Georg back, obviously, but we'd also like you to participate," he said in his usual jovial manner.

"What, me? What can I do?"

"Each team has been assigned a computer operator to run the new anti-terrorist software. Considering the difficulty of your individual work and your familiarity with the pilots, we'd like you serve as the operator for Pied Piper when you have no work more important at the time."

"Are you sure? I mean, as needlessly complicated as the code is, I can work on my own if you think it's necessary."

Blanc nodded. "Yes, you're one of our best and we could use you on our Ace Team."

When faced with the alternative, Han was only too happy to accept.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (IFO Hangars; Locker Room)**

Both Ao and Naru, Noah clinging to her back as usual, suited up in silence. Any pre-fight talk they could have had was smothered by the issues weighing on their hearts. Fleur was relatively normal and was engaging in some light-hearted banter with Elena, who seemed unusually tired. The two of them finished first and left, continuing their conversation as they boarded the Triton.

As Naru finished zipping up her green and grey pilot suit, she began coughing again, to the point where she needed to sit down and lean against the wall. Ao was at her side instantly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked as she was still wracking, "That sounds like a little more than a cough." He was briefly distracted by a glint of something in the air, but he shook his head. _'Probably just my imagination.'_

"I'm glad you're… worried about me…" she replied, hand against her face, "but… I'm fine. The doctors gave me a clean bill of health at our last checkup."

"Naru, what's going on? You haven't been this bad since the island." Indeed, she was showing the same symptoms as when she had TRA, though she had no trouble breathing lately. She kept insisting that she was fine, but he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.

She waved him off. "I'm fine. I can still fight."

At some point, Ivica and Rebecka had walked in. "Naru, is there anything you need to tell me?" he asked, showing a look of concern.

She looked directly into his eyes and shook her head. "No, Chief, nothing." _'Yes, Chief, I feel awful and I should probably stay home today.'_

He kept a keen eye, but he merely turned and started walking towards the Triton. "Just be sure to board soon; we're taking off within the hour."

"Yes, Chief," they both said one after the other, Noah giving a small salute.

**Génération Bleu Battleship Triton**

The hatch to Kyrie's cockpit slid open and Elena slid in to the pilot's seat. Faisal Arabia was only about a half hour away, so they didn't have a whole lot of time to relax. Strapping herself in, she pulled out her latest paperback manga. It was an old hobby she held, but she was glad for the distraction…

She brought the book to her lap and frowned at the sound of her video call tone going off. With the exception of Fleur, she was usually never directly called in the cockpit. Curios, she opened the channel and cracked a smile when she saw the person on the other side.

"Well this is a surprise! What's my favorite computer geek doing calling me on the eve of battle?" she inquired, resting her head on her hands.

"Well, I figured I'd give you a call considering I've been permanently assigned to the team," Han answered, unamused.

"So, you're coming with us? How brave of you!" she hummed playfully.

"Not exactly," he said, scratching the back of his head, "I'm operating out of the office here at base. My job is to turn any technology on the battlefield to your advantage."

"Well, you probably won't be able to do all that much on this mission. New Mecca isn't exactly primitive, but it isn't the technological capital of the world either," she said, returning to seriousness.

"You'd be surprised. It all depends on the situation."

"So, why did you call? Were you worried about me?"

He smirked. "Maybe. You appeared 17 times in last night's security footage. My on-the-fly editing skills can only take you so far."

"Well thanks for the performance review, _sensei_," she quipped, "but you know I'm getting better."

He shrugged. "Sure. The last time you went out, you appeared 24 times and more before that. A shame, really. I just LOVE cutting video footage."

"Don't sound so disappointed," she chuckled, "You know you like seeing me in my lovely, form-fitting, skin-tight sneaking suit." She gave him a faux-seductive wink and placed a finger on her lips.

After a moment, he realized he was staring. He shook his head and continued normally. "A-Anyway, have you gotten any closer? To your goal, I mean."

She laughed at his reaction before answering. "No, I haven't. I need to gain their trust a little more before I can gain any more information from them. It'll be a bit longer before I can get to the higher ups who would know and even longer before I can get them to let it slip."

"And what about you? How are you feeling?"

She place a fist over her heart. "Terrible about what I'm doing, but it's all that I can do."

"Hey." She looked over at him. "You're not alone in this. I'm as much in this as you."

That made her smile. "I couldn't ask for a better partner, Han. Thank you."

"Aw, I-It's nothing."

A few minutes later, her fellow pilots had strapped in and the ship launched. Fleur began arguing with Han about Gazelle's behavior and Ao learned, for the first time, that she was the company president's daughter from Naru. It warmed her up inside to watch her comrades, her… friends bicker about. Giggling to herself, she returned to her manga. Again, it was good to have a distraction.

**Génération Bleu Battleship Triton (Arabian Airspace, En Route to New Mecca)**

"Alright, enough small talk," Rebecka spoke to the pilots, "Georg has identified the Secret. It's time for a briefing."

The screen popped up showing the usual black and glowing red colors of the Secrets; this time folded into the shape of some kind of Origami bird, most likely a Paper Crane.

"This Secret most closely resembles the Secret spotted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States," Georg advised cheerily, "During the event, the local area suffered damage from a series of lightning strikes leading us to believe that the Secret emits some kind of electrostatic build up as a defense mechanism. Be advised that approachin-"

"The operation has been put on hold," Stanley said, expressionlessly, suddenly popping up onscreen, "The Triton is to land nearby and await further instruction."

Ivica stood up, giving a stern look. "What's happened?"

"It's the company president's orders," Stanley responded, his expression showing sympathy, "I have no more information. I'm sorry." His channel closed afterward.

Fleur was burning inside, but kept a cool head. An outburst now would help nothing. The rest of the group couldn't keep the same self-control, unfortunately.

"Chief! You can't!"

"These people need our help!"

"We can't abandon them!"

"Chief," Han said tentatively, "What happens if we ignore our orders?"

Ivica's look darkened. "We'll be impounded and our equipment will be confiscated. The company's orders are absolute. If we act out of line then Pied Piper will be dissolved and a lot of people who need our help will be left for the Secrets."

Ao hated them for what they were doing but held his tongue, as did Naru and to a lesser degree Elena. As much as they wanted to continue to protest, they all understood that if they ignored orders, it would only cause more trouble than it was worth. They entire team had no choice but to wait.

"Pilot. Reverse course," Ivica ordered, sitting back down, "Find a suitable landing by the coast and prepare for splashdown."

**Génération Bleu Battleship Triton (Faisal Arabia, Coastal Village of Dahaban)**

Since the team wasn't supposed to be heading into combat anytime soon, they had all come to the Bridge. All except for Han, who had been called away on business. They were currently discussing the situation that had befallen them.

"Negotiations must be seriously strained right now," Rebecka stated, "The United States Government must be providing interference. They're the only ones who can influence the president."

"If Christophe doesn't bend to their will, we'll lose all of our funding," Fleur grumbled, "The coward'll back down. He has to."

"But why would America do this in the first place?" Ao demanded.

Georg was instantly up to respond. "Faisal Arabia is the most anti-US country in the entire Middle East. The United States has deemed the central government to have aided terrorist organizations and has regards them with complete hostility. If tensions continue to rise, it is perfectly possible that a state of war could exist between the two countries. Conflict first began during the reign of the previous royal family when-"

*Bang* Rebecka had heard enough and shut him off.

"If they delay us and allow the fusion explosion to occur, it'll deal a serious blow to their enemies and prevent them from gaining a Coral Plant and developing Trapar-based technology," she explained.

"Blanc wouldn't go along with it, though, would he? He hasn't refused to help in the past has he?" Naru asked.

"Not to my knowledge. The man has a long history of acting on his own," Ivica answered, "But the point still stands, if they can force us to wait here long enough, it'll be too late to stop the Secret."

"He has to accept. He can't afford to stain his already _illustrious_ relationship the company," Fleur said, punching the curved wall, "He'll fold eventually. Just wait."

By this point, Ao was shaking with anger. "They can't expect us to just sit here while people out there ARE DYING!" he yelled, running out of the room. Naru was out right after him with Fleur and Elena tailing just behind.

Rebecka was about to follow as well, but Ivica stopped her. "Let them vent. They need to do it alone."

She considered him for a moment before returning to her seat. "So, what do you think? Will he do it? Submit to them?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I've long since stopped trying to predict the man's actions. The best we can do right now is hope."

**Outside**

Ao climbed right out of the hatch and ran down the ramp into the old city of Dahaban. Naru was right out and running after him. Fleur and Elena reached the top of the ramp and stopped for a moment.

Fleur looked at Elena before also heading off in pursuit of the two. Elena was about to follow as well, but honestly had no idea what she could do to help them so she just froze. Once the three were out of sight, she took out her mobile and attempted to call Han again, but got no response.

"What could you be doing at a time like this…?"

**Dahaban Village**

Ao kept on running as far as his legs could carry him until he found a relatively empty restaurant. Seeing that the owner was asleep and every table was vacant, he walked in and sat down by a window, losing himself in his thoughts. Naru arrived soon after, set Noah down by the man "running" the counter, and sat down right beside him. Neither of them said anything for a moment.

"Sorry I made you run out after me," he said, not looking at her.

"It's fine. I'm just as angry as you," she said, not looking at him.

They sat in comfortable silence until Fleur finally walked in and sat across from the two.

She looked at them both, even though neither of them were looking at her, and she began to speak.

"I hate my father. Gazelle told me that you both also have dysfunctional relationships with your own fathers."

Naru shook her head. "I don't hate my father, but he joined the same group that shunned Eureka and he helped them try to force her and Ao off the island. I can't forgive him for that, for not seeing them as people."

Ao sighed heavily. "You and I are alike in that regard. My father left us before I was even born. For that, I hate that man."

Naru looked a bit perturbed, but Fleur just nodded. "I can understand that."

"But why do you work at his company if you hate him?"

She looked out the window and then at Naru. "I guess you get to hear about this sooner than I thought."

"Your mother?"

She nodded. "Five years ago, Maman and I were caught in a horrible traffic accident. With the organs we shared, only one of us could be saved." She closed her hand into a fist. "When my father was told this, he chose me and killed Maman. For burdening me with this, I despise him."

She looked back at them. Ao was still looking at her, but Naru's head was lowered and her eyes were no longer visible.

"That's why…" she continued, "I do what he wants me to do the least. I fight."

A moment's silence passed by before the conversation took an unexpected direction.

"…and what about him?" Naru asked, eyes narrowed.

"What about him?"

"How do you think he feels after having sacrificed his wife to save his only child?"

"I-I…" Fleur was honestly at a loss for an answer. She was surprised at herself to find that she'd never thought about it before. "H-He doesn't care! If he cared, he would have been around when I was growing up!"

Naru laid her hands flat on the table, stood up, and leaned in closer. "And you think he was wrong in trying to help protect the world and, by extension, you and your mother?" she pressed, raising her voice.

Fleur looked down. She was losing ground here. "But if he'd chosen Maman, she'd probably be…"

Suddenly pain exploded on the side of her face. She brought a hand to her now bruised cheek. "Naru!" she heard Ao yell. When she looked up, she saw Naru standing there with her fist clenched, her eyes full of anger and sadness.

"STOP BEING SELFISH!" Naru shouted, surprising everyone, "Happy? That's what you were going to say wasn't it? Do you honestly think that your mother would be happier to live knowing that you're dead when Blanc could have saved you instead?"

Fleur averted her eyes. She could imagine now the same guilt, pain, and depression increased tenfold if her mother was saved, but with nothing to vent or distract herself with, like she had with piloting, the grief would consume her. When considering all that she'd been through, she knew the answer.

Not receiving an answer, Naru grabbed Noah and stormed out of the building. "I'm going back ahead of you. See you back at the ship if we don't explode before then," she said coldly on her way out.

Ao just stared on in bewilderment. "I haven't seen her that angry in a while."

The owner had given Fleur a bag of ice as their argument had woken them up. "Why would she criticize me like that? She was empathetic enough yesterday…"

"Well…" _'Should I tell her? It's not my place…'_

"It has to do with her mother's death, doesn't it?"

Ao's eyes widened. Naru had been pretty tight-lipped about it for a long time after the event. This was the first time he'd seen her open up since, well since him.

"Yeah. When she died… she was trying to find Naru."

Fleur Immediately understood once she heard that. "She blames herself?"

Ao nodded, sad-eyed. "It's one of the things that brought us closer together. The looks that we both received for what happened; it almost killed us both inside. Without each other, I don't know what we would have done. The islander's unspoken aggression would have eaten us alive."

"I wonder… Is that how my father feels when I go off to fight?"

Both of them redirected their attention as the door creaked open. They watched as Ivica quietly walked in and turned on the television. The screen showed a news channel going through their afternoon report.

"These scenes are from within the country of Faisal Arabia. This footage was taken from the streets of New Mecca, a city home to much religious and cultural history of the country, where the Secret has appeared." As the announcement was being made, images of dead bodies and injured being carried off as women and children were crying. "In light of this footage," the announcer continued, "public outcry has increased across the globe."

"I want both of you back on the ship immediately. Because of the public demand for aid, the Allied Forces have no choice but to endorse the operation."

Ao and Fleur's faces lit up at the news.

"We've just received authorization to continue the mission. We're to proceed to the Scub and eliminate the Secret as soon as possible."

The two of them looked at each other before running out of the shop entirely. Ivica flipped a coin to the owner for the ice and left himself.

"He didn't bend! Maybe he's not such a bad guy after all, huh?" Ao hollered at Fleur as they ran back to the ship.

"Don't get me wrong, I may not have considered his feelings as much as I should have, but he's still a jerk!" she shouted back with a disgruntled look on her face, still holding thee ice to her face.

"I guess you'll just have to see when we get back!"

The two reached the Triton in record time with Ivica following close behind. As soon as everyone was back at their appropriate stations, the ship took off in pursuit of the Secret.

**Arabian Airspace (Outskirts of New Mecca)**

The green lights flashed. "Launching!"

Elena hit the drop switch and pulled back on the steering apparatus, causing the Kyrie to rush forward and join the rest of the team in formation. No one had spoken since Ao and Fleur had boarded the ship other than to give instructions. Naru had looked very cross when she'd gotten back and Fleur's face now had a bandage slapped over it much to Elena's confusion. She decided not to question it for the risk of injury.

Georg was currently giving them their combat brief. "Please be advised. The Secret is admitting charged particles into the air as a defense mechanism. These particles are causing electrostatic discharge known as lightning. Reportedly, this Secret has no direct method of attacking, but please be advised that a direct hit by a lightning strike can cause a complete system shutdown. Please be careful to avoid them."

"Any recommendations on how to approach this thing?" Fleur asked emotionlessly.

"None. We've never engaged this type in combat before so no recommendations can be given."

"Alright," Elena said, "I'm going to set up at a safe distance away. Please send me trajectories."

The Kyrie broke off from the group and landed nearby, extending its third leg to reduce recoil. She began firing of her gatling guns, but, despite landing constant hits dead center, the Secret showed no reaction to her shots.

Ao and Naru were sliding around the Secret themselves, dodging the lightning and firing their own shots. Minutes went by, but still not a dent on it.

"It's not having an effect," Ao said, "We need something stronger."

Fleur opened up Alleluia's scanner dishes and locked on to the crane-like Secret.

"I'm sending you a targeting vector, Elena. Try missiles"

"Roger," Elena responded, "Goliath Missiles… FIRE!"

Several missile batteries opened up on Kyrie's body and hundreds of missiles fired at the Secret. The bombardment scored a bull's-eye covering its body in explosions until it could no longer be seen.

"Did I get it?"

Her question was answered almost instantly afterward when a bolt of lightning burst straight through the clouds and struck the Kyrie head on. Elena felt her entire body heat up and go numb for a second before all of her screens shut off.

"Ah, no way," She said, annoyed, tapping buttons and switches with no reaction. Eventually, a screen popped up showing the progress off her system reboot. "Come on! Hurry up!"

Meanwhile, back at the Triton, things were in a panic.

"Particle release increasing at 250% and the discharge zone is expanding," Georg said.

"All IFOs pull back immediately!" Ivica ordered.

"Chief, I've lost Elena!" Rebecka said frantically.

He turned back to look at her. "No response?"

"None. I can only assume she was hit."

He returned to looking forward. "Nirvash and Alleluia standby and hold position."

"-but, Chief!"

"The Kyrie is the only one with the firepower capable of damaging the Secret. We have to wait for it to come back online."

"Chief, the Secret," Naru called out.

Suddenly, the Secret shifted its shape and folded in on itself, converting itself into a coffin-like shape. The new form of the Secret suddenly changed direction and propelled upward in a burst of speed.

"Secret has released all charged particles," Georg said, popping up, "It's currently gaining altitude rapidly and on its current trajectory, it will reach a point high above the Scub Coral. Presumably, it will cut thrust and use the power of gravity to impact and reach the Quartz within seconds."

"What?" Ivica spoke nervously, "Attention all pilots, Operation cancelled. Take cover at once!"

"Chief?!"

"The situation has changed. We have no way of stopping the fusion explosion from occurring. I want you all to retreat immediately."

"We can't just abandon these people!" Ao shouted in frustration, "We can't just quit now after being kept waiting for so long!"

Fleur's face darkened. _'It's too powerful. There's nothing we can do. Father… What can I do?'_

"Fleur," Naru said unnoticed by the rest of the team while they were arguing.

She looked up at the mention of her name. "What?"

"Did Ao tell you about what happened to my mother?"

She lowered her head, "Yes. I'm sorry. I had no idea."

"No one ever explicitly said that they blamed me, but I saw it in their looks. My father was the worst. I know he blamed Ao for it to avoid blaming me and every time I fought for my best friend, it hurt him more inside. It just made both of us fall even deeper into anger and depression.

"I-"

"Don't keep hating your father," she said sorrowfully, "It doesn't matter how your relationship with him is right now; one day you'll regret holding that grudge for so long."

Fleur's eyes widened and then narrowed. Swiftly, she changed course and headed directly for the Scub Coral sight.

"Fleur!" Ao called out, "Fleur, where are you going?!"

"Ao, follow her," Naru said, bumping his shoulder, "There's no time; we have to help her or she'll die."

Ao looked at her and begrudgingly agreed. There wasn't enough time to retrieve her and get her to safety. Converting the Nirvash to jet form, they took off right after her.

"Nirvash has passed Rubicon Point," Georg said, "115 seconds until impact."

Ivica clasped his hands together and brought them up to his head. _'Please, let them succeed.'_

**New Mecca (Scub Coral Arrival Site)**

Fleur arrived at the Scub just over the Scub Coral. By this time, the sun had set and the green glow of the Trapar emissions was perfectly visible in the darkness. Converting to humanoid mode, she looked directly upward at the approaching Secret.

"Fleur, what are you doing?!" Ao shouted, arriving on the scene with Naru, "You don't have the firepower to stop that thing!"

"This is a fight I'm not going to lose. My father didn't back down to give us this chance and I'm not going to back down either. He owes me an explanation and an apology for what he did! Ao, Naru, I can't take it on alone, but I might be able to kill it with your help."

Ao was confused, but he acknowledged her determination. Naru just nodded in affirmation. There wasn't any time to think, though, as the Secret was visibly right on top of them.

"There's no time! Let's go!" Naru yelled, as the three of them took off.

They rushed upward towards the Secret and flew towards it from either side. Reaching out, they grabbed onto it from either side, tightly gripping the ridges of the coffin so as not to slide off. Pulling out their guns, they started firing wildly at point blank.

"Alleluia and Nirvash have latched on to the Secret. 25 seconds left till impact."

Not knowing what else to do, they continued to shoot with no effect.

"15 seconds left to impact."

There! The constant pressure of the gunfire, cracked the surface of the Secret.

"10 seconds left to impact."

More and more cracks appeared, bleeding purple light from the inside of the creature.

"5 seconds."

Finally, the creature buckled under the pressure and exploded, eradicating the threat of explosion.

"Secret has been eliminated."

Everyone on the Triton's bridge breathed a sigh of relief at the good news.

"Georg. What's the status of our pilots?" Ivica said, leaning back into his chair.

"The Kyrie is still offline, but the Nirvash and Alleluia are still intact and operable. We're still picking up life signs so they appear to be alive as well."

Upon hearing that, he let out a breath that he was holding. _'No deaths today. Damn kids.'_

By that time, the Kyrie had finally decided to come back online and Elena was able to reestablish communication.

"Chief, what happened? Do you still need me?" she said, sounding tired.

"No, Elena. We took care of it," Ivica responded.

"Good. Cause I can't feel my legs right now."

He blinked. "Can you make it back to the Triton?"

"I think so, but I don't think I can walk," she said, slapping her legs. _'Still nothing. Guess I'm going to be out for a bit.'_

Meanwhile, back at the Scub Coral, the remaining pilots were regaining consciousness. Ao stirred awake, flipped up his visor and rubbed his eyes groggily. He looked over to his right and saw his partner beginning to move.

"You okay?" he asked, trying to rub his headache away.

"Yeah," she answered, not even opening her eyes, "What about Fleur?"

"I'm still alive," she said over the Com, "We're all still alive."

"Let's go home."

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (IFO Hangers)**

"Naru."

She turned around to see Fleur approaching her from behind. "What is it?"

Stopping right in front of her, she looked away. "I don't know when, but at some point I'm going to go to my father and make him explain himself. I deserve that much."

She looked back up. "After that, I'll consider making up with him."

Naru smiled. "Well, it's not going to solve all of your problems, but it's a start at least."

All of a sudden, their discussion was interrupted by a person dressed up in robes running towards them.

"Hey, have you seen Elena?" the mysterious individual said, panting.

Naru tilted her head and squinted to get a better look at the face. "Han? Is that you?"

"Huh? OH, right sorry." He removed his hood to reveal that it was indeed Han. "I've been wearing this for so long, that I forgot I had it on."

Fleur gave him an incredulous look. "What _are_ you wearing?"

He rolled his eyes. "Did you see that footage on the news? The president wanted us to shoot that stuff. He need a leg up in order to get America to cooperate."

She went wide eyed. "He did that?"

Naru smirked and gave her a light punch on the shoulder. "See? He's not as bad as you think he is." She turned to Han. "I saw Elena getting carted off earlier. Her legs are numb from a lightning strike."

"Thanks," he nodded and started running down the rest of the hall, occasionally tripping over his robe, and out of sight.

She looked back at Fleur. "I'm off. If you ever need help dealing with your dad, come and talk to me again."

They said their goodbyes and headed off in opposite directions.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Residential District)**

Naru made her way up the stairs and saw Ao, back in his work uniform, approaching his apartment with the intent of sleeping for the rest of the night.

"Another one down," she said, causing him to turn around.

He snorted slightly. "Yeah, I guess so. Didn't really go how I expected, though."

"Oh?"

"Well, I couldn't have predicted that you'd deck Fleur. That was a surprise."

"Just knocking some sense into her. If I held back, I'd have done it eventually anyway."

"Well, at least we lived… again. I'm going to catch some sleep and hopefully I'll be less tired next fight."

"Yeah." She waved him off. "Goodnight Ao."

"Goodnight Naru."

He turned around and was about to enter his apartment when he heard a loud *THUD* behind him. He whirled around to see Naru flat on her back, on the ground, coughing violently. He ran over to hear and held her up as green dust burst from her mouth. As he was holding her and calling her name, her vision began to darken and after another half minute, she blacked out completely.

**SENTINELS Flying Assault Carrier Roosevelt (Pacific Ocean)**

"Colonel Tanaka, We've just entered the Radar DeadZone. We have about 30 minutes before surveillance is reestablished," Navigator Rothschild announced.

"Very good, Navigator," the newly promoted Colonel Nick Tanaka replied, "First Lieutenant Brooks, prepare the Flintlock for target practice."

He saw Brooks give him a look before picking up his headset. "Attention Hanger Deck, prepare Flintlock for launch. Load long-range equipment pack and prepare to launch targeting drones."

Down on a lower section of the ship, a silver and red-lined, jet-like craft lowered onto the Catapult Deck. A tube of purple liquid was loaded into a space behind the tail section and large, long-barreled guns were attached onto hard-points on the sides of the craft. Once everything was ready, the crew cleared the deck.

"Flintlock ready for launch," The Deck manager spoke into his headset, "Target drones loaded and we're ready to begin practice session. Requesting permission to proceed."

Brooks looked back at Tanaka. "Permission to launch, _sir_?"

Tanaka, unfazed, nodded. "Launch."

"Launch and begin target practice."

The ship lifted off the ground due to the electromagnetic field and sped forward at ridiculous speeds. At a far distance from the Roosevelt, its Trapar sails activated and it began to float.

"Neural Signals stable and at normal levels. Stimulant feed steady. All conditions nominal," Brooks read out, "Ready to begin Third Engine Activation Test."

"Proceed," Tanaka said, leaning forward.

"Roger. Activating Third Engine."

On the Flintlock, several vent covers opened and turbines inside started spinning, churning out green particles.

"Trapar amplification has begun. Output is rising quickly."

More particles kept flowing out until it formed a steady stream of green light.

"Slowing… slowing… Holding at 1,547,681 particle output per second. Activation test successful."

"Captain," Rothschild called, "10 minutes until we're out of the Radar DeadZone."

"Commence Target Practice," Tanaka ordered.

"Attention Hanger Deck, launch live-fire drones."

Within seconds, about 20 flying wings had left the ship through various launch tubes. Each one was loaded with an offensive AI and enough firepower to take out several military IFOs before having to return. They were usually used in training exercises for rookie pilot, in order to introduce them to the rigors of becoming an IFO pilot.

As the drones approached, the Flintlock converted to its humanoid form which had lots of fins attached to its appendages, large shoulder pads, and twin cannons on its back section. The first drone came from directly ahead. It dodged directly under it and fired one of the rifles on its arms, destroying the drone instantly.

The rest of the target practice proceeded similarly. The drones frequently tried to surround it and use their sheer numbers to take it down, but the Flintlock was too fast for them. Dodging their shots, it nimbly snaked itself through the enemy fire, taking each one out at just the right moment. Weaving and striking, each movement filled with venom. Soon, practice was over and all that remained of the drones was smoldering scrap metal that was currently falling toward the ocean.

Tanaka, who was standing over by the bridge's window while viewing the exercise, gave an approving whistle. "She's performing beautifully. Brooks. Assessment?"

Brooks sighed. "39 shots fired; 22 hits; 17 misses. 3 shots taken. Minor damage to IFO. Chalking it up to unfamiliarity. Satisfied, _sir_?"

The man smiled. "Very. Commence recovery. We've only got a couple of minutes left before we're back under surveillance."

He walked over to the Captain's chair and sat back down.

"Rothschild, after recovery take us into the upper atmosphere. It's time to return to base."

**A/N: Well, I'm no longer dead inside and as a result, I've found my will to write again. After that last chapter, I just lost most of my creative energy and even while writing it, it felt like I was forcing it. In the meantime, I've got it back, but I still can't vouch for my frequency in uploading chapters. I'll try to get it done, but it might be hard now that the new semester is beginning and I have to handle a lot of things going on in my life. Right now, I just want to get to when Eureka shows up. I thought the show started picking up after that.**

**Now, onto the chapter itself. First, this chapter is very Han-centric and I must apologize for that. I wanted to find a way to insert the other two into the events that were going on, but I really couldn't. Second, I thought Fleur's reasoning for hating her father was pretty weak. Even at 11, I think that I could figure out why my Father would choose to save me instead of my mother and if not then, I would probably learn it much later. So, I decided to let a newly motivated Naru to knock some common sense into her. If your child died because your husband chose to save you instead of her, you'd probably be very angry and depressed.**

**For those of you wondering about the Flintlock, it's based on technology that America recovered from the Scub Coral and appropriated it for themselves. I don't know if I'll get to explain it in the story or not so I'll leave which LFO it's based on ambiguous. For those of you curios about Unlambda, visit this website: ~david/programs/unlambda/**

**After working an office job for three months, I felt like making a programming joke. No, I have not had to learn Unlambda. Thank God.**

**If you have any questions, corrections, or ideas, please message me or post a review. Thanks for reading and I'll try to get the next chapter out when I can.**


	11. These Feelings Inside

**Disclaimer: This series and its characters belong to BONES Animation Studios**

"Speech"/_'Thoughts'_

**Daibachi Hotel (Japan, Capital City of Nagoya)**

"Excuse me, Ma'am?" he said, catching the attention of the attendant behind the desk in front of him, "I have an appointment with the men staying in room 315. Can you ring them up please?"

She looked him up and down for a moment before answering. "Of course, sir. However, I must first ask if you have proper identification?"

He grinned at hearing this. Refusing the temptation to look down, he thumbed over an uncovered metal plate on the desk which swiftly took a blood sample for analysis. Making a show of it, he mock-yelped and brought his thumb against his teeth. The attendant handed him a napkin.

"Head right up, sir," she said, not batting an eye, "They're waiting for you."

Thanking the woman, he took an elevator to the third floor and soon he was knocking on the 15th door on the right. The door was answered by an aged man whose grey locks were gathering soot from his heavy cigar smoke. The man stood back and raised an arm, beckoning him into the room. Upon walking in, he saw two other men of whom he didn't recognize. All he really knew is that they were representatives of the Ministries of Defense and Finance.

"Welcome, Intelligence Officer Nakamura," said the man with the cigar, "I trust you've had a pleasant evening?"

"Pleasant enough," he replied, not liking these men's attitudes, "I'd rather get straight down to business, If you don't mind?"

Another puff of smoke. "No time for fun? A shame, but you are correct of course. We shouldn't delay any longer."

"So, what is the news on my proposal?"

One of the younger men shifted uncomfortably as the older man chuckled while taking out a confidential file.

"Well… We were considering just shelving the whole thing due to its economic and militaristic unimportance," he said, causing Nakamura to nearly pop a vein, "However, recent information has come to light which made us reconsider the relevancy of this project."

Nakamura raised an eyebrow. It wasn't a refusal, but it also wasn't an approval.

"What information?"

The man handed him an envelope which he subsequently opened and found overhead photos of the Pacific Ocean and a couple of blurry pictures seemingly taken from far away. All in all, they appeared to be showing a large, grey and green object floating over the water.

"America's latest weapon. A warship to top even the likes of Génération Bleu's technological prowess."

With the viewing of each picture, Nakamura's hands began to shake more and more. He began to feel heated in his formal dress and loosened his collar, but that didn't stop droplets of sweat from forming on his forehead.

"Have they… Have they made a statement?" he asked hurriedly, his face showing of worry.

The man shook his head. "When approached, they told us that the craft is under the ownership of a PMC which means that it falls outside of normal jurisdiction. We're thinking SENTINELS which we know has close ties with the American government, but have never been able to prove it."

"But what is the justification of this type of weapon?"

The man took another whiff. "Well, the excuse will always be defense against the Secrets, but we all know the real reason: continued military dominance. It's the kind of weapon that could capture a capital city within hours and render the military force of an entire country inert."

To relieve himself of a dry mouth which had been steadily forming over the course of the previous few minutes, Nakamura poured himself a drink.

"What about my plan? Is it approved or not?"

"As of this moment, neither."

He looked up at the men incredulously. "What? What does that mean?"

"It means that we approve, but the central government doesn't. They're still not convinced that the threat is that serious."

At this point in the conversation, the youngest man of the three stepped forward. It was odd for the agency to hire someone so young with such clean features, but Nakamura didn't give it a second thought. He'd dealt with enough troubled loners by this point.

"It's because of this that we must make an informal request to you on the behalf of your country," the boy said somewhat melodically.

"What is it?"

"Obviously, given its subject matter, this operation would never be officially approved, but we need something to push the government over the edge. In other words, we want you to use the information that you recently received from the organization known as Firecracker."

Nakamura was taken aback slightly. "How do you know about that?"

The boy grinned and waved him off. "Please, Nakamura, you're a lot of things, but subtle is not one of them. Anyhow, our desire is for you to use this information as if we outright refused your plan."

"What?"

The third man in the room pushed his glasses upon his face and took over where the last man left off with his deeper voice. "If the operation is successful, it will create a Plant Coral, which is likely to attract a Secret. If this is the case, then we plan to convince the provincial government to hire SENTINELS instead of Génération Bleu."

Nakamura tiled his head in confusion. "They wouldn't approve of that, would they?"

The man seemed intent of continually looking out the window, through the blinds. "Pied Piper is out of commission and Harlequin's projected orbital will take them out of range by the time the operation is under way, leaving the only available team as Goldilocks, and with their failure and near death a couple of months ago, the government is more likely to be susceptible to suggestion. Plus, SENTINEL's base in America is much closer to the coast than Gen. Bleu is in Switzerland. If we are successful, they'll be forced to reveal their super weapon well before they were planning to with their close allies."

"…and you think this will influence the national government to accept my plan?"

"Precisely, Officer Nakamura, and if we're wrong, then we'll get a new Plant Coral out of it; everyone wins. You must begin within the next few days or you'll miss your opportunity. Now, be off. We have much to discuss without you."

Nakamura left the hotel with his head swimming. By the time he was back in his car, he was laughing hysterically. If everything worked out, his every dream was about to become true. From the rooftop, the boy watched him, silently grinning and licking his lips. His yellow, inhuman eyes glinting in the moonlight.

**Collective Unconscious**

She'd opened her eyes, but it was pointless. The fog was so thick that she could barely see the end of her nose. She couldn't move either. Her arms and legs weren't just bound down, they were completely without feeling. Any attempt to lift them was met with failure. She yelled out and screamed for someone, anyone to find her and free her from this prison, but no one answered. Finally, she accepted the futility of her situation and began to close her eyes once again.

"Wait!" a voice called out faintly in the distance, regaining her attention, "Don't give in; I'll be there in a moment!"

Shortly after, she saw a light appear from the direction of the voice. It started off small, needle-thick in fact, but quickly grew larger with each passing second. After 30 seconds, it filled her vision from that direction and after a minute, it was swirling all around her. Being surrounded by this gentle green light began to relax her somewhat; it was like being encompassed in an ocean of warm, almost like the caring embrace of a parent or a lover.

Soon, the green light had completely driven back the fog and died down enough to where she could finally see where she was. She was lying on her back on a flat plain that went off in every direction only for the ground to meet the clear blue sky at its furthest visible point. Said plain appeared to be made up entirely of Scub Coral, though she'd never seen it lie this flat before. Having nowhere else to look, she finally looked down at herself which caused her to gasp in horror. Not only was her entire lower body covered in Scub, but it also appeared to be growing into her in addition to holding her there.

Thankfully, her savior approached, revealing its identity as the blue-haired woman.

"Naru!" She exclaimed, distressed.

"Wait. That's right," Naru said, her full awareness finally returning to her in the absence of the fog, "I'm Naru…" She shook her head violently. "What's happening to me?!"

The woman kneeled down next to her, a sympathetic look on her face. "Well, as you can see, the Scub Coral betrayed us. It's trying to assimilate you and absorb your consciousness."

She turned to look at her the best she could from her precarious position. "Why? I thought it knew we were fighting for it!"

The woman looked away. "It did, but the Scub Coral is a curious creature… Too curious for its own good, that is."

"What do you mean?"

"Despite our very thorough explanation which they agreed to, they couldn't help but try to absorb you and learn about the experiences in your head. Being of a collective existence, they're fascinated by your independent existence."

"And it couldn't hold itself back for its species self-preservation?"

The woman shook her head. "There was once a core to unite them on such choices, but after being separated from it, they can't be trusted to stay in complete consensus at all times. In the end, the temptation was too great."

Naru, feeling empty inside, turned to look back up at the sky. "So, I'm going to be eaten up? I'm going to lose everything that makes me myself?"

"No!" The woman nearly yelled, swiping her arm for emphasis, "I'm not going to let that happen! Neither are you, for that matter."

She turned back to see a determined look on the woman's face. "But how am I going to do that?"

"You're going to have to fight the Scub. Resist it at every turn. It's the only way to make it submit and assimilate with your body instead of the other way around. You can start by getting off of the ground."

Naru looked at her with incredulity. "How am I supposed to do that?! I can't even feel my legs down there!"

The woman rolled her eyes and gently gripped the sides of her head with her soft hands. So as not to harm her, the woman steadily brought their foreheads together until they were touching.

"Naru, you must remember that this is no more real to me than it is to you. This is only a mental image being projected in your own mind as a reaction to the Scub's attack on your body. You need to clear your mind of such thoughts and focus on yourself in terms of reality. Just focus on the fact that none of this is real. Concentrate."

Deciding it would be best not to argue and just take her advice, Naru closed her eyes and thought as hard as she could about real life. _'I'm not on top of the Scub. That's only a dream. In reality, I must be in the hospital at this point. I'm lying on one of those beds. Window to my right, probably a table with flowers. I'm in a white robe under a blanket, I probably have an oxygen mask on too. Ao would be by my bed side, holding my hand and probably crying himself silly right now.' _She giggled to herself. _'Ao… Ao…' _Her heart quickened its pace when she thought of the boy and the more she thought of him, the less she thought about being trapped. So, in light of this fact, she lost herself in the boy's every physical feature, every personality trait, every like and dislike, etc. that she'd learned about him since the first time they met. His image was locked solidly in her brain and before she knew it, the Scub had all fallen off of her legs and the woman was pulling her up and beaming brightly.

"Good job! Your thoughts were very… telling, but very powerful. I have no doubt that you'll be able to break free of the Scub."

Naru, whose head was still swimming with images of the boy, could only nod in response.

The woman lightly laughed before drawing the young girl into a hug.

"Listen, you can fight it and escape this place if you always hold on to the fact that you have somewhere to return to and to be there means everything in the world to you. I have to return to my duties, but I'll always be watching your progress from afar, understand?"

The girl looked up from within the woman's arms and nodded. "For when I do get out of here, how much longer do I have to hide it?"

"Not that much longer. I'll be making my debut soon enough." The woman smiled one more time, trying to pass on as much confidence as she possibly could to the girl. "Farewell and good luck." The woman gave one final sign of affection with a kiss on the forehead before fading out of existence, leaving the young girl alone.

With no emotional pillar to hold her up and no one around to judge her, she fell to her knees and burst into tears, letting out all of the stress and anxiety and sorrow that had been building up in her over the past couple of months. She couldn't tell for how long or even why it lasted so long, but she continued to wail as the sun of her mind quietly set, leaving her shrouded in darkness.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Medical Examination Area)**

After determining that Naru's condition wasn't contagious and she didn't need to be put into quarantine, she was roomed with Elena who was still recovering from the nerve damage that she'd suffered in the last battle. Ao didn't know what to think as he was lead into a meeting room where he was met with Blanc sitting at the other end of a table and Ivica leaning on a wall nearby. Before the man even spoke a word, his lack of a joking countenance already had Ao surprised.

"Go ahead and sit down, Ao Fukai," Blanc said solemnly. Ao did so and the man continued to speak. "Ao, do you remember your first medical examination upon entering the company?"

Ao nodded, though he was slightly confused. "Yes sir. We passed that checkup… didn't we?"

"Officially, yes," he said, folding his hands together, "Though, off the record, I only let Naru through tenuously. If your performance as a team, both in and out of training, wasn't up to par, then I wouldn't have approved her continued employment at all."

"I don't understand. What's wrong with her?"

Ivica stepped forward. His face was hardened, but inside he was worried for the girl and feeling sympathetic toward the boy in front of him.

"When you were first examined, we found nothing inherently wrong with you. Your results matched your mother's. Naru was another matter, though…"

"When we reviewed her scans, we discovered several Scub-based mutations within her," Blanc continued, "We would have held her back, but these mutations appeared to have beneficial effects such as healing her lungs…"

Ao's eyes widened. "So that's why… But if it healed her, then why is she here now?"

"Well, we've been using your weekly checkups to monitor the progress of the mutations and until now they've been strengthening her cell structure and improving her physicality, but a few days ago, in our analysis of her last examination, we noticed an abnormality in the results."

Ivica handed Ao a file which he opened to find a video pad. On the screen, a cell was portrayed being devoured by another cell.

"Rather than the two cell types merging as we've seen since our first observations, the Scub cells seem to be attempting to assimilate all other cells in her body. Essentially her body is a battleground now, with newly developed antibodies fighting to protect her from the Scub. We're not sure how to help or even if we're supposed to, so all we can really do now is to wait and see what happens."

"When can I see her?"

Ivica beckoned the boy over. "Come, You can see her right now."

The boy was lead out of the room, leaving Blanc alone with his own thoughts. The man proceeded to sit there for a few moments more before getting up and returning to his office.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Medical Examination Area, Pilot's Recovery Ward)**

The two passed Fleur on the way out. She nodded to him but otherwise they shared no other communication. Passing into the room, Ao noticed Naru lying on one of the beds, oxygen tubes feeding into her nose, and Elena on a bed right next to her, nose buried in a manga. He immediately walked over, sat down next to her, and wrapped his fingers around her palm. Elena gave a quiet snigger which went unnoticed.

"Well, I have other duties to attend to, so I'll leave you three alone," Ivica said as he left the room.

"…"

"You really love her don't you?"

*blink* *blink* "Eh?!"

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (President's Office)**

Fleur stood outside her father's abode with trepidation throughout her entire body. She wasn't even moving but staring at the doorknob. To cross this threshold was to destroy the wall she'd been building up for the past six years.

'_It's not that hard. All you have to do is twist the doorknob and tell him how you really feel…'_

"Um… Ms. Blanc?" asked Christophe's secretary asked, snapping her out of her stupor, "Would you like me to tell him you're here to see him?"

She shook her head violently. "N-No, don't do that."

The woman gave her a confused look, but went back to her work.

'_God this is ridiculous! Why can't I just-'_

She instantly froze as the doors to the office opened. Out walked Christophe in mid-conversation with Bruno.

"-and the girls should be alright if Hannah pitches…" the man stopped and scrunched his eyes a little as he noticed her, "Fleur…? Is there something you want to talk to me about, dear?"

The anxiety built up in her more and more as he walked closer and closer toward her. She could feel that wall begin to crack and shake and crumble apart. It came to a fever pitch when he reached out to touch her and she could take it no longer. She took off running away as far as her legs could carry her even as he called out after her.

He looked over at Bruno. "You know, that's the first time she's come to see me, unprompted, in years."

"Maybe," he said, holding up a very large arm, "she's finally starting to grow up…"

When she was a far enough distance away, in a smaller shopping plaza of some kind, she planted a fist directly into a wall and let out a frustrated screech. It drew much attention from everyone around her, but no one offered a hand of support.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Medical Examination Area, Pilot's Recovery Ward)**

"W-What are you t-talking about?" he stuttered out as Elena struggled to control her laughter.

"You're just too easy to mess with," she said, wiping a tear from her eye, "but seriously, you do love her don't you? You two clicked when you were kids and you've been nothing but stuck to each other since you got here. You're practically a couple already."

Ao remained silent, cheeks on fire. _'Sure we were close, incredibly close, but love…?'_

"I-I've never… I…" he struggled for words, "I haven't… really thought about her that way before…"

She gave him a benign smile. "Well she seems enamored enough with you."

He sat up instantly. "What?"

"I can't speak from experience, at least not directly. I've never ogled over a guy, but," she said, holding a hand against her tilted head, "The way she looks at you, talks about you, even acts around you; you can just see her light up and get starry eyed even if she doesn't quite realize it herself." She closed her eyes. "It's really sweet actually."

He just blinked, cheeks blazing even hotter now, unable to find a response. In another moment, however, Ao could breathe a sigh of relief as Han came through the door a moment later carrying a couple of things under his arm. He approached Ao first, crouching to bring himself to eye level.

"How is she?" he asked, looking over at her.

Ao shook his head in an attempt to get his blush under control. "They don't know yet. She could go either way."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," he said confidently, "You know how tough she is."

"Yeah." He smiled, his mood brightened a bit. "I guess I do."

Han gave a sympathetic look and ruffled his hair before walking over and taking a seat by Elena. He passed her a package making her raise an eyebrow.

"Got you a present," he said, giving her a wry smile.

Unwrapping it, she lit up. "Hey, it's this week's edition! How'd you know?"

Ao just stared incredulously. "Wait, you two are friends?"

She turned to look at him with an expression that dared him to explain why it was a problem.

"No, no. There's nothing wrong. I'm just a little surprised is all," he said, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Yes, we've known each other for quite a while. It appears we share a similar taste in music," Han responded, "One day, we just started talking and we've been friendly ever since."

Elena turned back to give him a sly look, "Yeah, I bet you didn't know he was an indie rock fan. He attends all of the Miller concerts going on every few weeks."

"I-I do not!"

At this point, being thoroughly weirded out by the conversation, Ao refocused his attention on Naru. Elena's words were still ringing in his ears and stirred up some odd feeling deep inside of him. Right now, he felt a deep confusion and needed something to get the entire thing off of his mind, so, among Elena teasing Han as he attempted to ignore her and work on his decoding with Georg on the tablet he had brought with him, he slipped out unnoticed.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Business District; Gazelle Administration)**

Gazelle was sitting at the table reviewing the latest intelligence information while enjoying a cigarette. There really wasn't much for them to do while Han decoded the first Page, so he had requested some side jobs from the president. Some of them were exciting and others not so much, but he found himself mostly enjoying himself more than when he'd worked independently.

He raised an eyebrow when Ao walked into the office. "Hey, kid. How'd you find out about this place?"

The boy swiped the smoky air out of his face while looking at him disdainfully. "I heard about it from Rebecka. Do you know where Pippo is?"

He tilted his head. _'Well that's probably the first time I've ever been asked that question by someone who isn't his father. Wonder what the kid wants with him,' _he thought.

"Yeah, he's in the Rec Room," he said, pointing toward the door on the other side of the office, "What do you want him for?"

"I want to ask him something," he said nondescriptly as he entered said room. Gazelle just shrugged and went back to work.

Ao found Pippo sprawled out on a couch while watching an old movie channel on the television.

"A-Ao," he said, trying to get himself situated in an upright position, "What's up?"

Ao, suddenly regretting what he was about to ask, sighed and just came out with it. "Hey, you know Martial Arts, right?"

Pippo blinked…

Again…

He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I studied lots of different fighting styles back when my father wanted me to join the military. Why? I thought you hated fighting."

He looked down at his feet. _'I promised that I would get stronger and I'm not about to back out now.'_

"Teach me how to fight."

Pippo opened his mouth to speak and shut it again. He mashed a fist against his forehead in thought. Finally, after a moment, he found the words to speak.

"Alright, but on one condition…"

Ao nodded. "Anything."

"Tell me why."

He responded immediately. "For her."

Pippo snorted, but otherwise nodded. "I need to set up a dojo, so we won't start today, but when we do, I expect you there on time every other day. Until I'm satisfied that you're good enough, you only have permission to skip out when there's an attack, got me?"

He was suddenly feeling a chill run through his shrimpy body, but he agreed.

"Good, now get out of here. You should be with your friends."

Ao rode the elevator back down to the street level and walked out amongst the various restaurants and businesses. It had been a while since he had just walked out in the middle of town without any practical purpose. He'd hoped that Pippo would have started his lessons today so he could focus on something else other than his own thoughts, but that avenue had obviously failed and here he was alone and confused in the bustling center of the city. Walking by one of the more laid back cafes, he spotted a familiar face. There was Maggie sitting alone, having a cup of tea by herself. Remembering that he hadn't talked to her personally in… well, ever, he walked over.

"Hey."

She looked up at him for a moment, eyebrow raised, before she suddenly remembered who he was. "Oh! You're Ao, aren't you? Why don't you sit down? I could use someone to talk to anyway."

Following her advice, he took a seat. A waitress came over and he ordered a tea as well. "So, where are the others? I thought you guys were inseparable."

She smiled at him, happy to have someone to confide in. "Maeve and Chloe are out doing maintenance testing on their IFOs right now. I did mine earlier this week so I opted out."

"Oh…"

…

"You look like you have something on your mind," she said knowingly, "Care to talk about it?"

His eyes widened, but he considered it for a moment. If he couldn't distract himself, maybe the best thing to do was just address it?

"Have you ever…" he trailed off, trying to find the words.

She gave a light laugh. "Well, don't hold it in. Out with it!"

He gave her an exasperated look before continuing. "Have you ever felt deeply about someone, but you're not sure what those feelings are exactly?"

Maggie creased her eyebrows before coming to a realization. "Oh! You're talking about love, aren't you?"

He shook his head. "I don't know…"

"Well, I guess my answer would be yes."

Ao looked up at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "I felt like that for a long time about a close friend of mine. Even now, I'm not sure if I should move forward. She just seems so fragile sometimes, you know, like if I told her I wanted to date her, she might fall apart."

He paused for a moment at her openness, but decided to continue. "But you already know?"

She shook her head. "Of course not, silly. I'm only a teenager; I don't know the first thing about love and I'm pretty sure you don't either. The entire point is to get to know her and spend time with her first."

He was about to say something, but the words slid back down his throat as he realized the truth of her statement.

"I'm sure that, whoever she is, she's a nice girl, but my guess is that you're not going to know right away whether you want to marry her or not. Try spending some time with her and doing some things together. I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually."

Finishing her tea, she got up and left some money for the both of them. "I never thanked you for saving us so long ago, so thank you and for talking to me today. I wish I could do more, but right now all I can do is pay for your tea." With that, she ran off into the crowd people leaving for their lunch break, her words still prominent in his mind.

**Eglin Airforce Base (SENTINELS Active Duty Office)**

Brooks sighed at his predicament. Apparently, Command had decided that it would be better for "workplace synergy" if he shared an office with Tanaka and First Officer Valatin. While Valatin was friendly, the smugness of Tanaka just seemed to radiate in his general direction whenever the man was in the room. It was unbearable.

Right now, Tanaka was thankfully absent and Brooks was stuck filing reports on the status of _La Rose_ while Valatin was sorting through intelligence reports. Feeling stifled and tired at his job, he decided to hold a conversation with the man seated opposite to him.

"Hey, Valatin," he said quietly, with a roughness still in his voice.

The man looked up at him, shifted his eyes left and right, and responded. "Yes… sir?"

"Tell me about those reports, won't you?"

He clacked his tongue. "Captain Tanaka suggested that I shouldn't tell you about these. I'm not the biggest fan of the man either, but he hasn't been wrong about a lot of things."

Brooks rubbed his eyes. "Those are reports on Génération Bleu, correct?"

"Yes…"

"Then, seeing as there's quite a bit of animosity between us, wouldn't it be prudent to inform me of the intelligence being gathered so that I could be better-prepared for a confrontation in the future?"

"I guess…"

"So, go ahead. If Tanaka asks, I snuck the reports out and read them myself."

Valatin shrugged. "It's your funeral, not mine. We've been gathering intelligence on their combative and technological strength through our inside agent."

"Who's the agent?" Brooks asked, curiously.

"One of their pilots. She approached us instead of the other way around, can you imagine?"

"Can I see her?"

He passed him a photo. "Don't see why not."

Brooks looked at the photo for a second before his eyes widened considerably. "That looks just like…!"

'_It can't be!'_

**A/N: Another talky chapter. Thankfully this one actually got out on time, though it's not as long as some of my previous chapters. I decided to dedicate some time to actually developing the different relationships that I've set up with people throughout the story in this chapter and set up and develop a couple of side-plots that I've got going. The next chapter is going to be focused on the combat between the Fish Secret and the first public appearance of the Roosevelt. Thankfully, we're drawing closer to the appearance of the Gekko and POLARIS which are the points that I really want to get to. As always, if you have any ideas or spot any errors, be sure to message me or leave it in a review. Ciao!**


	12. Conquering the Darkness

**A/N: Would have got this chapter started a lot sooner, but I had to think of a good place to begin. I was originally going to do a scene with Elena, but then I remembered that her legs were injured and I had to go with something else much to my chagrin. Anyhow, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: This series and its characters belong to BONES Animation Studios**

"Speech" / _'Thoughts'_

**Génération Bleu (Business District, Gazelle Administration)**

"So, you think he's trying to impress her?" Gazelle questioned, blowing out a puff of smoke.

"Why else would he suddenly be interested in fitness?" Pippo replied.

"Yeah, you might be right…" he said, stroking his stubble.

After a moments silence, he flared up in enthusiasm. "RIGHT! It's decided!"

"What are you talking about boss," he responded, sighing slightly at what shenanigans were sure to come.

The man in front of him suddenly cracked a smile. "Well," he said excitedly, holding up a fist, "Dr. Fukai's not here, so it falls to us to teach him of MANHOOD!"

Pippo looked unamused. "Are you serious, Boss?"

"Of course, I'm serious! A man coming of age is no laughing matter. We need to educate him as soon as possible. We'll need some magazines, and…"

At that point, Gazelle's cigarette, which he'd been neglecting in the past few moments reached the edge of his finger, causing him a sudden pain.

"OUCH!" he yelled, dropping the cigarette and blowing on his fingers.

At the same time, Han wandered in looking like he was about to collapse. He looked at the two of them, expressionless before tossing one of the Pages onto the table.

"It's cracked," he murmured, tiredly, as he wandered into the Rec Room.

Peering into the room, they saw him curled up on a couch, snoring away.

"How… How long was he working on that thing?" Gazelle whispered, tentatively.

"I don't know, but now that I think about it, I haven't seen him in the past few days."

"Has he been working on that thing the whole time?"

Pippo shrugged. "He must have."

Gazelle looked upon his friend's exhausted expression. He'd always admired his tenacity, but this was going a bit far. _'Why would he work so hard to finish these in such a short time? What's he worried about?' _He was going to have to give him a good talk when he woke up but, for now, he was going to let the man rest.

At the risk of disturbing his slumber, he rubbed the man on the shoulder. "Sleep well, buddy. We'll take it from here."

Carrying the Page into the Monitor Room, he hooked it up to the console and Georg popped up on the screen.

"Good morning, Mr. Gazelle!" the AI said cheerily.

Seeing him appear gave him an idea. "Georg, how long were the two of you working on this Page?"

"Well…" he said, his icon suddenly changing to indicate that he was flustered, "Mr. Juno requested that I withhold that information, but he also wanted me to assure you that work on any future Pages will take significantly less time."

He gave an exasperated sigh. "Are you sure you can't tell me anything?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Gazelle, but I've been programmed to uphold the privacy of staff members unless otherwise ordered by an executive member of the company, and... after working with Mr. Juno for this long, I've… come to consider him a friend. I hope you understand."

He blinked but waved it off. "Yeah, I understand. Just call up the President and we'll view the data alongside him."

"Roger!"

After a few moments, Blanc's visage met his eyes. "Hello, gentlemen. I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."

"Neither were we, but Han worked himself half to death just to get this data to you."

He immediately put on a more earnest expression. "You have the data?"

"Yes we do," he said, before nodding to Georg.

The various screens around the room sprang to life as loads of pages of mathematical equations, graphics, research notes, etc.

Blanc adjusted his glasses. "Georg, can you parse this?"

"Yes. It appears to be various bits of research data of various fields on Scub Coral and there's also a large section on Quartz as well."

"I thought we were the only ones who had physical specimens of Quartz. How could he have done any extensive research on Quartz without one?"

"I can't explain that inconsistency unless one was stolen, however, no such theft has ever been recorded."

"Interesting," he said, placing a hand on his chin, "Send the data to the research division. I'm sure our understanding of the Scub will be furthered by his research. Is there anything else of note?"

Georg continued to scroll through the information. "There's a personal log embedded in the rest of the data."

"Text or Recording?"

"It's a voice recording. There's also some geographic data stored in here."

"Alright. Go ahead and play it back."

"Understood."

There was some crackling as the recording started. There was some speech in the background but it was far enough away that it was unintelligible. After a few moments of silence, a voice began to speak.

"_Personal Log. Appendage to prior entry. It's been a few days since the Great Okinawan Scub Burst as it's been named by most local news stations. A bit disrespectful if you ask me, but I'm not one to argue semantics. _

_The event itself was quite interesting. I wasn't even aware one was present, but apparently, from the descriptions provided by the islanders, a Coralian woman stopped the invasion single handedly. We weren't close enough to observe the battle, of course, but the lack of a fusion explosion stands as proof._

_Unfortunately, we didn't recover anyone from Carthage. Not one person made it through which means that our journey was almost a waste. It would have been a great disappointment if not for our discovery. While exploring the wreckage, we found a young boy nestled among the ruins of a residential area. It wouldn't have been such a unique event had the child himself not been extraordinary._

_The boy was completely unclothed when we found him. He has teal hair, pale skin, and yellow irises with a strange shape to them. As far as we can tell, he has no memory of his past, but he speaks quite eloquently for one his age. It's very clear that he's not actually human, but he's also not a Coralian either much to my amazement. I've decided to take him under my care to closer observe him and… I must admit that I feel some kinship for the boy. In the absence of my own son, I understand his feelings of loneliness that he's described to us. I only hope that he can find some sort of comfort in a normal family environment._

_Anyhow, I've already said enough about the boy. All research findings will continue to be recorded onto theses backup drives. I'll make my next entry when we make a discovery of note. This is Johansson signing off."_

Gazelle, who'd been steaming since midway through the recording, slammed his fist onto the console. "The bastard was there! He knew it would happen and he just sat there and watched!"

Pippo made a calming gesture and spoke cautiously. "Calm down Boss! We knew that beforehand."

"You honestly weren't expecting it to be that cut and dry, though, were you?" he replied, voice still raised, "but now we have it from his own mouth. He let thousands of people die when he could have protected them."

"Mr. Gazelle," Blanc interrupted, "I understand your feelings, but if this operation proves to be too problematic then I'll have you removed."

The man sighed wearily, his short bout of rage sufficiently cooled. "Just don't expect me not to give him a beating if we actually find him."

"If it comes to that, I may need to restrain you, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, Georg? The data?"

"Of course. Processing now," the AI replied, "The data appears to be outlining a location in the Pacific Ocean. Localizing now."

On one of the various monitors, a world map display appeared and a flashing box formed around the Japanese Isles. Zooming in, the camera focused specifically on Okinawa.

"Longitudinal and Latitudinal Data on the far side of Iwato Island. It's just outside of safe distance of the fusion explosion based on our predictions from the event several years ago. With sufficient protection they would have been able to survive unhindered."

"Well, Gentlemen, It looks like you're going home."

**Collective Unconscious**

When Naru awoke, she found the expanse to be exactly as she left it only without the fog present during her first awakening. After her rest, she was feeling much lighter than before, as if an enormous weight had been lifted from the depths of her soul and indeed it had. Since the very beginning of their employment, she'd taken on the burdens of others. First it was Ao and his worries carried over from the island, but eventually it extended to everyone. While it felt good to help others with their problems, it put a colossal amount of stress on her which she could, now at least, distract herself from. Despite her impending absorption, she felt more relaxed here than anywhere she'd ever been in the real world.

Standing up, she surveyed her surroundings. _'If there's really a way out of here, like she said, then there has to be some physical symbol of it. That's how I always left this place before, like with Aeterna's doors or the mirrors when Truth… When he…' _Her fists clenched tightly and a vile taste entered her mouth when she remembered the event. _'Damned Incubus…'_

Releasing herself from her thoughts, Naru finally spotted something in the distance. It was so distant that she could barely make it out, but she could see a layer of bright white calling out to her from the horizon, amidst the green which surrounded her. It wasn't much to go on, but it was certainly better than the rest of the empty space surrounding her. Destination in mind, she set off.

*squish*

Immediately she frowned after taking her first step. Perhaps she had been caught up in her emotions before, but now that her head was more or less clear, she noticed that her shoe sunk deep into the coral, with an awful squishing sound, as soon as she set her foot down upon it. Shaking her head, she decided she would have to tough it out.

*squish*

*squish*

*squish*

'_No,' _she decided, _'That won't do at all.'_ Carefully removing her shoes, she stuffed them into the pockets of her work uniform, thankful that they were thin despite their durability. Setting her feet down on the Coral directly, it tickled her toes with its undulations. Giggling, she took another step, finding that she could walk much more comfortably. _'That's much better.'_

With a newfound sense of calm and relaxation washing over her, she began to walk towards the object in the distance.

**Japanese Self-Defense Force Headquarters (Special Intelligence Division)**

"Have the preparations been completed?" Nakamura asked two of his associates occupying the room with him.

"Yes, everything has been set," the thinner, dark-haired man, stated, "but we require the Firecracker Data before we can move ahead."

"Of course. I'll send it now." He promptly held up a PDA and tapped a button to activate the upload function.

"It seems strange that a cyber-terrorism organization like them would reveal such data to us, of all nations," the thin man replied with an expression of strained caution planted on his face.

"It's probably that they have some sort of hidden agenda and we're just a pawn in their game," the other, more portly man said.

"Whatever the case, if we succeed tomorrow, our nation's strength will be greatly built upon," Nakamura responded, "If we should have to use a dishonorable method to obtain that strength, then so be it. I do this for my country."

"Of course sir," the man replied, passing on information to Génération Bleu which Nakamura was only partially aware of. He knew there were spies which is why he intentionally fed misinformation to his associates. Even those occupying the room with him weren't privy to the true reason he was executing this operation or that it was officially sanctioned.

'_We can't allow them to warn the Americans. We need to catch them off-guard.'_

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Command and Analysis Room)**

"So you even have people in the Japanese Government?" Bruno asked, hand stroking his chin.

He was currently standing at Stanley's post in the Sub-Commander's Balcony. As one of the three available, though there were only two at the moment, it was his responsibility to observe any potential mission prospects. There was no denying that Japan's recent movement was more than a little suspicious and he had a strong feeling that he would be out there before long.

"We've received intel from certain associates within the Ministry of Self-Defense that Japan intends to run a simulation that will artificially induce a Scub Burst."

Bruno raised an eyebrow. "Is that even possible?"

Stanley shook his head. "We have no idea, but if it does end up working, the results could be disastrous. In order to maintain equilibrium among global powers, Japan must not be allowed to have a Plant Coral."

"Bruno," Blanc said from above, causing the man to look up, "Mobilize Goldilocks. It'll be your job to retrieve the Quartz if things go sour. I'm counting on you."

He gave a salute and said, "Of course. We'll complete this task to the best of our ability."

Though he had no particular desire to participate in another possibly combat-heavy mission, he at least recognized the importance of his task. With no further response to his presence, he proceeded to exit the room.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (IFO Hangers)**

"All tests we had run on it point back to the same thing," Boyle said, exasperated, "It's definitely Scub DNA, but I can't figure anything else about it."

Maintenance was dialed back on Pied Piper's IFOs, as always when a team was downed, and Boyle had a lot more free time as of late. Ivica had taken this opportunity to come and visit him which is why the two of them were now standing in his office, overlooking the hanger deck.

"You tried everything?" Ivica asked, unconvinced.

"It's just like I said last time. The mechanical systems are the same, but that 'under armor' is some sort of… Scub-based endoskeleton that carries our natural shape. We still don't have any idea how it moves and we certainly don't know how it generates Trapar."

Ivica stroked his mustache, perplexed. "So, it's true that the Third Engine is gone? Not even a trace?"

Boyle shook his head. "Not even. Instead, the computer registers it as a 'Natural Engine,' whatever that means and any attempts to access it from there are also denied before you ask."

As the two men continued to discuss the Nirvash, Ao slid into the cockpit of the very same mysterious machine. It was a lot easier as of late thanks to the lax maintenance schedule. He found himself coming here more and more as of late.

"Hey kid," he said, wearily.

_Joyful, but also Concerned_

"Is it really that bad?" he asked with a sad amusement in his voice. The sheer force of his worry was beginning to show itself on his physical features: hair longer and more unkempt, eyes slightly darkened from his lack of sleep, tense muscles and stiff limbs, etc. His feelings of anxiety from the incident with Truth had only been exacerbated by Naru's constantly changing condition. He'd been foolish not to realize it before, but considering everything that had happened to them so far, it had finally struck him: any of them could die at any moment.

"I know you're worried about me kid, but I can't help it. Sitting here and waiting like this, not knowing whether she'll wake up or not… It feels like a part of me's been ripped out," he said, letting his hair hang over his eyes.

The Nirvash, desperate to alleviate his pilot, no friend's heartache, enveloped him in the mental equivalent of an embrace, relaxing the tension that was tightly coiled inside of his mind and drawing him towards his happy memories. It did much to ease the emptiness he felt inside, but it was still there, still eating away at him.

Just then, he heard a knock on the hull of the cockpit.

_Curiosity_

The exterior cameras activated automatically, revealing Fleur much to Ao's surprise. Looking over at Boyle's office, he saw clearly that he and Ivica had already left and were nowhere to be seen. Feeling safe, he opened the cockpit.

"Hey," she said, giving a small wave, "Do you mind if I…?"

"Go ahead," he replied, "but come in before Boyle gets back."

Carefully, she dropped into the chair beside him, allowing him to close up the cockpit again. Neither of them said anything or looked at each other for several long moments, but his eyes were drawn to her for some reason. He drank in everything from her pale, smooth skin to her deep blue eyes to her shiny blonde curls.

'_She's… beautiful…' _he thought. He'd never really looked directly at her before, but now that he did, he began to notice every little thing about her... _'No,' _he thought, guiltily shaking his head, _I can't be thinking about this right now.'_

Neither of them could have noticed the ghostly figure watching them from afar, eyebrow raised as she brushed a few of her golden locks out of her vision.

"Everybody's worried about you, you know?" she questioned, looking at him with an expression of half worry and half annoyance.

"Are they? Well, I'm sorry for worrying everyone, but you know how it feels to be stuck, don't you?"

She looked at her hands folded in her lap. "Yeah… I guess I do."

…

…

…

"Hey, Fleur?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever thought about… death?"

She immediately turned to look at him with a frown on her face. "Don't tell me this is going where I think it's going."

He held his hands up. "Don't get me wrong. It's not that I'm afraid to die, I-"

"You're afraid for her to die," she finished for him, not changing her expression.

He shook his head. "Not just her anymore. It's anyone and everyone. You, Elena, Ivica, Rebecka, Goldilocks, everyone. We could all die at any moment, whether it's in combat or some sort of attack, or a… disease."

She rolled her eyes and groaned. "Unbelievable."

"What? It's true isn't it?"

She placed a hand on her forehead, gripping her hair in vexation. "Are we really having this conversation? Weren't you prepared for this when you got here?"

He looked down. "Well, yeah, the first battle pretty much handled that, but-"

"But nothing! This is what we do! We fight, possibly for our entire lives, and if someone dies, we mourn and then move on and keep fighting!"

"That's a pretty grim way of looking at it," he murmured.

"But necessary. Don't you know why we bury ourselves in our hobbies? Why we visit our loved ones? Why we indulge in our own lives as much as possible?"

"That's-"

"It's so we don't have to think about the fact that one day we may walk into battle and find an opponent that's too strong for us," she said in low voice, "We may talk about teamwork and cooperation and conquering all when we're together, but not every enemy has a weak point, not every monster can be defeated."

He looked at her, concerned. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. "Fleur…"

"That's why we can't focus on that all the time. It would be like sitting around and waiting to die."

The Compact Drive began to glow a warm light at that moment. Ao looked at it in astonishment.

"What's happening?" Fleur questioned, also curious.

"It seems," he replied, a grin forming on his face, "that he likes you."

She looked at him as if he'd grown two heads. "He?"

He laid a hand on the center console, closing his eyes. "Nirvash. You've resonated with him."

From afar, the golden-haired woman gasped. "Could it be?" she spoke silently, her eyes narrowing skeptically.

"This light. It's… dazzling," Fleur said, staring at the Compact Drive. She placed her hand on the center console, brushing against Ao's. The two looked at each other with reddened cheeks.

'_What's happening to me…? I don't feel right,' _she thought, woozily. The boy next to her was looking more attractive by the second. Why she could almost reach out and…

Suddenly, a sharp pain burst from her forehead, causing her to yelp and grip her forehead. At the same time, the light faded completely and Nirvash began emitting emotions of confusion.

The golden-haired woman sighed, disappointed. "Only a temporary bleed, it seems." She looked back at the Nirvash one last time. "Is it really so wrong to want to help her?" she asked no one in particular as she disappeared.

"What's wrong, kid?" Ao asked, rubbing the console of the Nirvash, a placebic effect that provided a physical anchor as his subconscious delivered the comfort he was meaning to convey.

_Confusion_

"Ao," Fleur said, still rubbing her head, "What… just happened?"

At the moment, his own head was pounding as well. Whatever had just happened had affected all of them, he surmised, but he couldn't quite remember what it was.

He shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know."

**The Zone**

Aeterna was sitting on an illusion of a throne among two others arranged in a circle. In the center of this arrangement was a holographic representation of the entire world which he was using to monitor the activities of all Scub Coral on a visual level. Honestly, it was really for the benefit of anyone who paid him a visit, whether it was his companions, who held other duties, or his guests, who could not even begin to grasp the mental existence he now led.

"What's with all the sulking?" the azure-haired woman asked, voice soft and showing amusement. She walked over and slid into one of the other seats, relaxing into the simulated cushions.

"I was just thinking about the future actually," he said, hands folded in front of his lips.

"The future?"

"Yes, more specifically about the Gekko."

She raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

He shook his head. "There are thousands of possible versions of that event, but in many of them, he'll immediately grow suspicious of me, if not outright call me out, the minute he sees you."

"Hm… Is it entirely necessary to avoid that?"

"No, but it's imperative that he trust us. You know what happens if we fail."

She nodded grimly. "The complete destruction of all worlds the Scub lands on, including this one."

To accentuate the point, the holographic world changed to reflect an image of absolute destruction. It revealed land cratered and charred black by countless fusion explosions and what little sea was left was polluted by the various debris and radiation, preventing any currently existing lifeforms from recovering. If the Contact was not brought about, this would be the only possible future.

"We must prevent this from happening a second time. That is why I propose we be more truthful after the event. It would go a long way towards strengthening the bond we share with him."

Her face held a downcast expression. "I agree… but I'm not looking forward it."

He closed his eyes and gave a light smile. "With time and understanding, those wounds will heal."

At that moment, the blonde woman walked in. She silently seated herself into the third chair. Though she had presumably come to council with them, her expression gave away that she was troubled by something.

"What were you up to, dearest?" he said to her, hoping to glean whatever was on her mind.

She looked a bit surprised to be shaken from her thoughts, apparently having approached them automatically. "I… I found a temporal rift and I was observing the effects of the bleed just like you said."

"Nothing troubling I hope?" he asked, knowing that it was a foolish question.

"A resonance," she answered bluntly.

His eyes widened in wonder. "With who?"

She just looked at him with a sad smile on her face. He understood immediately.

"Was there any damage to the scenario?"

She shook her head. "No, it was only temporary. They lost the memory afterward."

They all breathed a slight sigh of relief at that news.

"As delightful as it would be to see the return of halcyon days, I wouldn't sacrifice the world for it," he said, "Still, I wonder which timeline bled through."

"It's not important. As long as it doesn't happen again."

"You're right, of course. If something like that happens again, prevent it with all of your power. We can't afford it to progress any farther than it has."

"Even if I have to reveal myself?"

"It can't be helped."

**Génération Bleu Battleship Medon (Japan, Tokyo Bay, Radar DeadZone)**

Bruno sat at in his chair, stroking his mustache thoughtfully. _'Who'd have thought we'd ever need to come back here?'_

Indeed, The Tokyo Scub Burst had happened more than 70 years ago and was, by far, one of the most devastating, having taken out the coastal portions of the city and leaving much of the surrounding area in ruins. They had since rebuilt, but it was still nowhere near its former glory. Hopefully, they could avoid an incident like that from ever happening again.

Far behind him, the girls had set up camp on the ship's exterior, relaxing as far as they could in the face of what could turn out to be a battle oncoming.

"Sheesh," Chloe said, lying back on a lawn chair, aviators covering her eyes, and holding a child-sized set of reflector plates, "Just how long are we going to have to wait here~?"

"As long as it takes for the experiment to start. Then it's back to business. You know that," Maggie replied as she back-stroked through the ocean water, retaining a peaceful expression the whole time.

"Doesn't make it any less irritating…" Also no reaction.

Just then, Maeve stepped out of the hatch, having finally changed into her swimsuit.

Spotting her, Maggie swam up to the ship and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Lookin' good, Maeve!"

Embarrassed, she blushed and covered herself. Though she tried to put on a brave face around others, Maggie had a talent for getting under her skin and making her feel heated. Even when she looked upon her smiling face staring up at her from the water, the memories still haunted her.

*FLASH*

"_Maeve! GET OUT OF THE WAY!"_

"_MAGGIE!"_

_*FLASH*_

"_Mama… Papa… Don't leave me… Don't… die…"_

"_Maggie… I'm so, so sorry. I'm always weighing you down…"_

_*FLASH*_

'_I'm so useless…'_ she thought, tears forming in her eyes.

Her introspection, however, was thankfully short-lived as she felt someone grasp her bare ankle.

"WAAAAAAAHHHH!" she screamed out, falling into the water and making a big splash. Luckily, her glasses stayed attached to her head as she rose to the surface, coughing violently as her head broke the surface. Once she regained her senses, she registered that someone was laughing heartily. Turning her head, she saw Maggie guffawing as she held on to the side of the Medon.

"Lighten up, Maeve! If you worry about everything, you'll get shot down right away." She said, smiling pleasantly at her.

Though she did feel a slight weight lift from her shoulders at the older girl's reassurance, the misery continued to grip at her heart. It was something she could ignore at first, but after each operation, the tear on her soul grew a little wider, especially when Maggie complemented her.

Her thoughts were interrupted, however, when she noticed Maggie's expression had changed from one of joking enthusiasm to pure curiosity.

"What's that?" she said, pointing at something behind her.

She swung herself around in the water to see strange waves of light emitting from the direction of the bay.

"Girls, it's time to get ready," Bruno called out over the PA.

**Collective Unconscious**

Naru turned her head left and right as she examined her surroundings. After much time travelling, or at least she perceived it as such while having no way of telling time, she had come upon some sort of settlement. It caused her to raise an eyebrow. Other than Aeterna and his entourage, she had heard of no others able to access the Collective Unconscious. So, taking that into account, why would there be a town here? Finding that she could obtain no answers by remaining outside, she took a step inside.

Having walked through the gate, she was met with what appeared to be utter chaos. The first thing that stood out to her were the buildings. Each one was of a pristine white base color with bouts of other colors thrown in on the details. They all were of a different architecture as well, with some being instantly recognizable for their cultural significance and others being of seemingly impossible designs that drove her nearly insane just to look at them. Needless to say, she avoided looking at them at all costs.

The other thing that stood out to her were the people. Man, woman, and child alike, no matter the age, race, and gender, were all handling… paper in some form or fashion. They wrote, read, transported, bound, tore, burned, etc. The list went on and on.

Deciding that it would be foolish just to stand around, she approached an older man with a gentle expression, scratching something into a standard looking book, and tugged his sleeve.

"Excuse me sir," she started politely before being rudely cut off.

"Could you please not disturb me at this time? I'm making my daily observations," the man responded without so much as stopping what he was doing or even looking at her.

She frowned at that. "Could you at least tell me where I might find a way out?"

The man paused for half a second before continuing. "Try the library. All others will tell you the same."

"Thank you very much, sir," she replied, bowing in gratitude. She didn't doubt the man's words, however, she determined a slight problem as she walked away from the man: he hadn't bothered to tell her where the library actually was.

Wading through a veritable ocean of people and paper, Naru continued to wander the streets for a little while before she spotted it. In what looked like the very center of town, there was a massive building which incorporated several of the building designs she'd seen throughout town, even the impossible ones.

'_That looks like an important place. Well, if that's not the library, then perhaps I can find out where it is from there.'_ She deduced, heading toward the colossal structure, avoiding countless couriers as they made their way to a host of different destinations across the city.

Eventually, through much perseverance, she found herself standing before two mighty oaken doors shielding whatever knowledge lie within.

"HHHHNNNNNNNGGGGGGG!" she grunted rather loudly as she pressed her entire body against the door and began pushing against it as hard as she could.

…

…

…

*SCRAPE*

…

…

*SCREEEEEEECCCCCHHHHHHHHH*

With enough power behind her, she managed to break whatever had been sealing the door shut and slowly, the bastion swung inward, allowing her to step inside.

Once she was within the great building, she looked around with wonder. It was impossibly large inside, dwarfing any building she'd ever been inside. The walls extended so wide in either direction that either end was shrouded in darkness, unable to be seen. Similarly, the ceiling was so high that all she could see above her were dark grey, swirling clouds, obscuring all that lie beyond.

However, despite the odd proportions of the building in which she currently resided, she was delighted to find that mountainous bookcases were contained within. She'd found exactly what she was looking for.

Though she was happy to have found this library in the first place, she instantly regretted her rash impulsiveness that had caused her to rush forward without thinking. For now, she was undoubtedly, hopelessly, and foolishly LOST. She ran down one aisle of bookcases and ended up in another that looked exactly the same. She attempted to retrace her steps only to end up in a location that was even more confusing that the last.

At last, she found something that looked promising: an opening in between two bookcases with light pouring out of it. Curious, and having nothing to lose, she walked in between the orifice to find… more bookcases.

The section of the library she'd stumbled on, however, was far more centralized and stylized, having much smaller bookcases that wound together in circular patterns with platforms accessible via stairs and… was that a tree she spotted growing on top of one of them? Wandering through the shelves, she eventually found a circular area that appeared to be the center, connecting many different parts of the library. Running a hand over the shelves, she picked out a single volume and dusted it off. Flipping through it, Naru found that she couldn't read a single page for it was all written in a language she neither recognized nor understood.

"Looking for something in particular?"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" she screamed loud enough to cause an echo, falling over which caused the book to topple right onto her head.

She heard someone chuckle. "My, you're an excitable one aren't you?"

Before she could respond in any capacity, she felt the book being lifted from her face, revealing the mysterious person to be… one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. The lady looked as if she were in her 20s, but she exuded an aura of someone much older and wiser. Her lithe body was garbed in rather plain, white and orange robes which extended to her mid shins while her sleeves ended above her wrists. Her face was covered in strange marks, two that resembled lightning bolts on her cheeks and a simple dot on the forehead. Her most striking feature, however, was her unfettered light purple hair, which extended down to her soldiers, and her deep purple eyes which were exactly the same as…

"You're a Coralian, aren't you? Who are you?" she all but yelled in surprise.

The woman let off another chuckle. "Now, now. There's no need for shouting or jokes. Of course you know who I am." She replied, while returning the dropped book to its proper place on the shelf with one hand while holding a sakura blossom in the other.

Naru shook her head. "I really don't. I'm just trying to find a way out."

The woman frowned at her response. "Out? Out of the library, you mean?"

Another shake. "Out of here. This world. The Zone. The Scub Coral. Wherever we are, I just want out!" she exclaimed, burying her head in her knees.

That was all the confirmation the woman needed. "I see now. You're an outsider aren't you?"

"Yes! That's what I've been trying to tell you."

A few short moments passed and Naru registered that a hand was being offered to her. She looked up to see the elder woman smiling gently at her.

"There's no use crying about it. Why don't you join me for tea and you can tell me your story?"

A bit stunned, she took the hand and the woman pulled her up, not even disrupting the blossom she held.

"What's your name, girl?" the woman asked, not unkindly.

"Naru… Arata Naru. Could you please tell me yours?"

The woman lightly nodded, still maintaining her gentle smile.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Naru. I am Sakuya, The Caretaker."

**Quartz Reactor Control Center**

Nakamura stood confidently in the center of the room. Surrounding him were not only his own associates, but also key members of the military. It was a curious, but certainly beneficial arrangement that brought him to this point. Even though he was fairly certain that the Firecracker Data was accurate and would bring about the desired result, it didn't matter. His directive would be approved regardless. The very prospect of his country's future strength made him crack a smile.

Outside the windows of the control room, he could see the Reactor sitting unassumingly in the center of the bay, its cover as a hydroelectric power system still intact. That would soon change, however, as the large device was beginning to emit large waves of green light that were reaching far out across the ocean. It was disadvantageous for avoiding attention from his fellow countries, but he hoped to accomplish his goals prior to then.

"Light emission confirmed. Water temperature's beginning to rise," an operator mechanically stated, "The damaged Quartz is beginning fusion."

"All right! The reactivation was a success!" his superior celebrated all too quickly. The operation was far from over.

"Reactivation is only the first phase," Nakamura informed them, "Now we have to actually summon the Coral itself which should be a simpler affair."

The light only seemed to grow brighter with each passing minute. Had the windows they were using not been tinted, they all would've been blinded by this point.

"Energy level increasing… There! A Burst is forming!"

At that exact moment, a very familiar pillar of swirling, colored energy, with large, symbol-covered circles surrounding it, appeared. This one, however, was a bit different from the others that had been encountered. This one was a darker color, almost as if the column were sick with some sort of ailment. They had no time to ponder it, though, as it disappeared almost as soon as it appeared… with no Scub Coral to show for it.

"Operator, what's going on?" Nakamura said perfectly calmly.

"W-Well, the Quartz hasn't finished fusing yet, so there's no possibility of there being a Plant Coral yet. However, a Secret has been detected near the site of the experiment. It's hiding in the water."

"Very well, then," he replied, retaining his demeanor, "We'll continue the experiment while the communications officer contacts the regional government and informs them of the situation so that we may work out a PMC contract. Understood?"

"Y-Yes sir!" the comms officer replied timidly, not liking all the attention being thrown on him, while he began following his orders.

**Eglin Airforce Base (SENTINELS Active Duty Office)**

Brooks sighed at his luck for the fiftieth time that week. As usual, Tanaka was doing his best to piss him off. He had to use every last bit of his strength to avoid tossing the man out the window he liked staring out so much. Of course, he wouldn't usually be primed for this kind of reaction, but currently the office was filled with noise and cigar smoke.

One thing that Tanaka was exceptionally good at was worming his way into personal relationships with his superiors. So, when a few of those very same superiors stopped by, what could he do but challenge them to a friendly game of poker? The following events were pretty easy to imagine.

"I need to get out of here," Brooks grunted to himself. Indeed, he was beginning to feel his eyebrows twitching and his veins were on the verge of popping.

So, he got up and headed to a local flower shop. Being a PMC, secretly funded by the government of one of the most prosperous economies in the world, certainly had its advantages. One of those particular advantages was a massive underground complex the size of a small city. Having refrained from combat for so long, their research division was much larger and more developed than their close competitor, Gen. Bleu, (at least according to their current level of understanding) and they required a homely environment to appease them and their families. However, once again unlike their competition, they kept much tighter security.

"Hey there Amanda," he said softly as he approached the local flower girl.

"Well, well. If it isn't my favorite customer," she replied cheerily as she spotted him out among the crowd.

"I'll take the usual. In a bundle, as always," he said, placing money on the counter.

"Sure, sure, I'll get it." She started gathering some red roses and tying them together neatly. "Sheesh, you've been at this for years now. It shouldn't take this long to sway someone."

He shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry. You know I'd tell you if I could."

She looked down, keeping a small smile on her face. "Yeah, I know. You're a good man, you know, even if you don't get that many opportunities to show it."

He gave her a warm smile in response. "Thanks, Amanda."

She handed him the roses. "Here you go. Use them wisely as always."

"Of course."

So, once again, he found himself performing his monthly duty of replacing the roses. It was the same every time, other than when he would have to crush one of the junior level researchers for attempting to move it out of the way. This time, however, it was different, if only slightly. Now that an active combat simulation had taken place, the researchers were slightly more attentive to their various screens and instruments. The capsule was the same, though. That was one element that never changed. So he went to accomplishing his mission, removing, cutting, and replacing. As always, he laid a hand on the capsule, letting it know human companionship if only for a brief period, before exiting the room.

Immediately upon leaving, he found himself face-to-face with First Officer Valatin.

"Thought I'd find you here. You're going to love this: we have our first official sortie today," the man told him in his usual half-interested manner.

"What? I thought we weren't due for a combat mission for another few months?"

"Yeah we were, but as discreet as our government made our opening for business, as required by our mobile arms contract, Japan was apparently paying attention and hired us anyway."

"And there's no way we can avoid this?"

"Nope. If we refuse, we'll lose popularity and thus valuable customers. We can't send any other battleships in our place because our only effective weapon is the Flintlock. We also can't say we aren't ready because they have evidence to the contrary. We're effectively trapped."

As much as he should be annoyed and distressed at the current situation, he couldn't help but smile at the look that Tanaka must have held when he heard the news.

"Ol' Saint Nick's not going to like this."

"Oh, he didn't. Be thankful that you didn't have to report it to him," he said, wincing a little.

"I feel for you. Anyway, how soon can we get to the combat zone?"

"20 minutes. The Roosevelt's still in California. We'll use the Underground Railroad."

"Understood. Let's go," he said as they ran to the elevator that would take them to their destination.

**Tokyo Bay (The Depths, En Route to Quartz Reactor)**

Looking at the screens of her Requiem, all Chloe could see was the darkness of the deep water surrounding them as well as the Gloria and Credo in front of her. The others made up the combat portion of the team, so it was standard formation for them to take the lead while she hung back and supported them from the rear. Currently they were being briefed on the situation by Bruno and the others.

"Now remember girls, we don't have a contract in this area at current so until we establish one, you're not to surface unless it's an emergency and maintain radio silence after briefing," their pudgy chief directed them.

"Yes, Bruno," they responded in unison.

"Now, first priority is to acquire the Quartz and stop Japan's wild schemes. Elimination of the Secret fall second, however it seems to be without direction at the moment, so be careful in engaging it. By this point, it's probably adapted to this environment, so keep your guard up. Understood?"

"Understood." Briefing over, they all switched off their radios.

There was a time for them to be boisterous and playful and now was not that time. They had to keep focus on their jobs or their lives and the lives of others could be put at stake. It was a lesson that Chloe had learned quite well in Columbia and she wasn't about to repeat her mistakes.

"Chloe, wide area search," Maggie ordered, as she was technically the team's leader.

"Roger," she said, running the scan, "The Quartz is still a good distance away from us, but the Secret is moving erratically. I won't be able to pinpoint it and get vectors until we get closer."

"Alright, then. Let's move in."

The three multicolored machines moved deeper and deeper as they continued closer to their target. Occasionally they would hear creaks and groans on the hull of their respective craft, scaring the life out of them.

"Just as a reminder, converting to humanoid form will put a lot more stress on your IFOs. Be sure to use it only in last resort," Maggie said shakily, tightly gripping her own controls and eying the environment. She didn't like this at all. A battle in the blind could easily turn into a slaughter.

Suddenly, the blips on Chloe's radar began to increase in frequency as the circular indicator for the Secret began to come quickly towards them. "Guys! I think he found us!"

"Hold position! Let him come to us," Maggie said, checking the ocean around her while slowing her breathing in an attempt to sharpen her focus.

"It's getting closer," Chloe stated nervously, "30 meters… 25 meters… 20 meters…"

"I still can't see a thing," Maeve said, switching to Combat Mode and getting her guns ready.

"15 meters… 10 meters… 5 meters… He's right on top of us!"

Chloe looked around for a second before she felt something violently impact her unit.

"AHH," she screamed before her head was slammed violently against her console as she spun out of control.

"Chloe!" Maeve called out in panic as she attempted to follow her before suffering a brutal hit herself, throwing her off balance and causing her to tumble in a completely different direction.

Maggie, having turned the Credo towards them, spotted something that looked like movement and fired off a round at it, whatever it was.

"Did I get him?" she questioned. If it was another battle in the sky or on the ground, they could've easily dispatched the target no matter how quickly it moved. Here in the water was a different story. Everything was dark and murky and impossible to make out

"No," Chloe replied, fiercely rubbing her bruised forehead while she stabilized her IFO, "I can still pick up his movements, but I can't pinpoint them. He's got a complete upper hand."

"Damn. Everyone get back-to-back! Triangular Formation!" the Chinese girl ordered.

In spite of her earlier words, each of them converted their IFOs to their respective humanoid state, though the Gloria was the only one of them that even vaguely resembled a human, and they formed up into a triangle, each of them facing outward towards the ocean beyond. In theory, all of their weakness would be covered in all directions.

"Focus, everyone," their leader stated, "Take deep breaths and look carefully for the Secret. Try to block everything else out."

Maeve tried to follow her orders. She really tried, but her mind was elsewhere, dragging her back to that incident and in that state, she couldn't possibly look for a Secret in the deep dark water.

Perhaps the Secret was able to detect this in some way or maybe it was just bad luck on her part, but before she could even blink, a terrifying black mass was approaching her at unthinkable speeds. She only had half a second to brace for impact by her estimate, so she quickly gripped her harnesses and grit her teeth. Time seemed to slow down as it got closer and closer.

'_I'm sorry Maggie. I failed you after all. I really am… useless…'_

*CRASH*

After a few seconds, she realized that nothing had happened and opened one eyelid to find a humanoid figure in front of her, defending her. At first, she thought it might be one of her fellows, but she dropped that idea after seeing that it was a biped. Before she could examine it further, however, it sped off in and she could see explosions in the distance telling her that it was most likely engaging the Secret. No longer in danger, she relaxed a bit, but soon she found tears dropping from her eyes.

"Maeve… What's wrong?"

Looking up, she could see the Credo filling her view screen while the Requiem headed off in the direction of that mysterious unit that'd saved her before. Apparently she'd never switched off her communications and Maggie could hear her sobbing.

'_That's right. Maggie's always looking out for others. She doesn't deserve someone like me dragging her down.'_

"I'm sorry Maggie. I've been such a burden to you," she responded, despair filling her voice.

"Maeve," Maggie responded, her eyes widening, "What are you saying?"

"You know I'm always the weak link in combat. You always hit the enemy twice as much as I do even if I have Chloe supporting me. And then there was the incident in Columbia. You almost gave your life for me! It was my own foolishness that got you hurt and even before then…"

At that point, the poor girl began hysterically sputtering off about incidents all throughout their career together, many of which Maggie barely remembered.

She was honestly a bit flustered at just how good the girl's memory was for her own mishaps. It was kind of scary to see someone she'd known most of her life spill out her emotions like this.

'_I wish I'd known she was this self-critical earlier. Then maybe I'd have been able to help her. Now there's only one way I can possibly think of to get her out of this. Man, I really wish I didn't have to do this now…'_

"Hey Maeve?" she said uncertainly, cutting the girl off with a yelp.

"Maggie?"

"W-Will you… Will you… go out with me?" she replied slowly, almost stepping over her words.

"W-w-w-w-w-WHAT?!" the shy girl stuttered out in disbelief.

"Do you think… that we can go on a date when the mission's over?"

Too startled to respond, the glasses girl's mind was rushed with countless thoughts at once.

'_Maggie's into girls? Wait, Maggie's into me? But why? How? How could she like someone as worthless as me? And why did she sound nervous? Was it for me? For her? That can't be though. Maggie's always been so strong and-'_

"The truth is I'm actually not that confident in myself. Because you're with me, I'm always afraid I'm going to screw up and get one of you killed," She said, hanging her head low.

Maeve's eyes widened at this. "No, that can't be true. You're always so on top of everything. I've always looked up to you."

Maggie shook her head. "No, I'm not. Don't you remember the time we first met?"

*FLASH*

"_Why won't you leave me alone?!" the young, dark haired girl yelled at her, "Mama and Papa are gone! I just want to… just want to…"_

_She was crying at this point, but Maeve didn't care. She gritted her teeth as she continued to pull on the girl's arm._

"_Do you want to be sad forever?!" she called out, catching her attention, "If you want to sit around and bawl, then I'm not standing for it! Whether you like it or not, I'M GOING TO CHEER YOU UP!"_

_The girl looked at her in awe as all resistance stopped and she began to follow behind her, hand-in-hand._

"_Um… W-What's your name?" she asked tentatively._

_Hearing her words Maeve stopped for a moment and slapped her forehead. "Oh, that's right. I never introduced myself did I? I'm Maeve McCaffrey. It's nice to meet you."_

_In response, the girl gave the first smile she had since arriving. "I'm Maggie, Maggie Kwan. Thank you so much."_

*FLASH*

"Ever since that day, I've used you as my strength. I was selfish and stupid for not considering your feelings. I hope you can forgive me." Maggie said, eyes downcast.

Maeve shook her head. "No, you're not the only one at fault. I also found strength in you, so there's no need to apologize."

"You've always been so kind and you've supported me through the worst of it. Even when I was near death, you were there the whole time," Maggie uttered, clasping her hands together, "That's why, I think I've fallen for you. So, will you go out with me?"

Maeve, head and heart racing, could only nod lamely in response. With that, Maggie clenched her fist as she let her face fill the screen, yelled out, "ALRIGHT! There's no way we're not coming back from this mission, so you better work hard! Got it Miss McCaffrey?!"

She was temporarily stunned, but soon she cracked a small grin. "Understood Miss Kwan."

**Génération Bleu Battleship Medon (Radar Deadzone)**

Back in the Medon, Bruno could do nothing but sit on his laurels as a SENTINELS battleship rolled right in and launched, possibly interfering with his own operation. They were right in the middle of monitoring the massive craft when the most abnormal thing happened.

"Sir!" his comm officer exclaimed in surprise, "The Gloria and Credo's Third Engines have come online!"

"What?" he questioned, eyes widening.

"It happened only a moment ago, but I'm unable to determine the reason. We're still on radio silence, so I can't contact the girls either."

"Well," he said, stroking his mustache, "I guess we'll just have to trust them won't we?"

**Tokyo Bay (Quartz Reactor)**

Rejoining the fight, Maeve curved gracefully around the cylindrical surface of the glowing reactor, the curved shape of her Gloria's aerial mode lending her more maneuverability in the water, while the blocky frame of Maggie's Credo cut her speed significantly. It was more than enough speed, certainly faster than they'd ever gone before by their measure. Spotting what they believed to be the Secret among the gunfire provided by Chloe and their mystery helper, they both tilted their IFOs sideways, letting their momentum carry them right past while they fired countless shots at it.

"Oh, nice to see you two have stopped being lovey dovey~" Chloe called out sarcastically, making the two girls blush, "At least long enough to help me and Mr. Devilfish anyway."

"Devilfish?" Maeve asked, firing a couple more blanks in the dark with the Gloria's arm cannons.

"Yes," she nodded," Whoever's piloting that thing is the best pilot I've ever seen. Better than Fleur, better than Ao or Naru, even Eureka from the old recordings. Since he's so good in the water and he's really scary, I've named him Mr. Devilfish. What do you think?"

Maggie thought about it for a moment before responding, "No, that doesn't fit at all."

The eleven-year-old pilot humphed before continuing. "Regardless, I think this darkness may be one of the Secret's natural abilities. In that case, we'll need a plan to get the upper hand."

"In that case," Maggie said, teaming up with the mystery mech to pull some sweeping strikes, "We'll need to find some way to get it out of the water. Even if uses the darkness in mid-air, it won't be as thick as here in the water."

For the first time in a long time, Maeve took a few deep breaths and relaxed herself completely in her seat, sharpening her focus and all of her senses. It was a technique she'd been previously unable to master, but when she combined her strength with Maggie's, there was nothing she couldn't accomplish. Surveying the battlefield from all possible angles, she looked upon all of her surroundings, searching for clues. She had her answer in a single moment once she looked upon the Reactor, its light glow being one of the only things visible in this black hole of a battlefield. She knew immediately once she saw the lightning bolt.

"Maggie!" she yelled out to her possible soulmate, "I have a plan, but I'll need to break radio silence."

"Then do it! Our lives don't matter when others are in danger!" She nodded.

"Bruno, come in."

As soon as the transmission came in, Bruno frowned. If the Japanese government wasn't feeling particularly generous, then this could be very bad for them. Unless they weren't monitoring communications and the chances of that were about the same as making Blanc mad. Nonetheless, the girls safety and support was his utmost priority and he wasn't about to play by the book at their expense.

"Yes Maeve? What is it?" he asked.

"Sorry for breaking radio silence, but we could use our tech operator right about now."

He was a bit surprised by the determined look on her face, but paid it no mind. Instead, he let distress flow into his expression. "Our computer operator's not here today. He's out sick."

"What?! Isn't there someone else with his skill?"

As if an answer to her prayers, a voice, seemingly from the heavens, interjected, cutting off whatever Bruno was going to say next.

"Heh. Guess I have to do everything after all."

Everyone on the bridge was looking around, as if trying to discover the source of the mysterious voice.

"Who are you?" Bruno demanded, not aggressively.

In response, a screen popped up, portraying a tired-looking, blue-haired man, with a small smile on his face, looking back at them.

"Han Juno. Electronics Expert at Gazelle Corp. and Pied Piper's Tech Operator at your service." He said, sounding exhausted, "I've been monitoring you guys for a bit and I figured you could use a hand."

"Are you okay?" Bruno asked, showing legitimate concern for the strange man.

He nodded. "I may be tired, but you can rest assured that it won't affect my work. Now," he indicated to Maeve," If I'm correct, you plan to drive up the Secret using the Reactor's electrical system."

She nodded.

"Good. I'm sending your team, not to mention our mystery helper, targets to hit. Get out of the water on my signal."

"Understood," she said as she went back to her job.

Bruno couldn't help but wipe a tear from his eye. _'My girls are growing up aren't they?'_

Chloe stopped her scans, and Maggie her assault, as they suddenly got target indicators on their radars. Their mystery helper paused as well, an impulse being fed into the pilot's synaptic interface which directed it towards certain targets.

"Come on guys! Blow the transformers and get out of the water on our signal!" Maeve called out to her compatriots.

"Ah, o-okay." "So, that's your plan. You got it!" Despite their confusion, they oriented themselves and began twisting around the cylindrical reactor, timing their shots and hitting the rectangular boxes placed sequentially on the outer shell.

The mystery pilot also joined in after a moment's indecision. In fact, despite their status as competitors, said pilot was actually smiling at the moment. _'Clever girl. Just like my Ellen.'_

Having finished off the last one, they all paused, waiting for the signal to leave.

"Let the Secret to get closer. We want him to get the full brunt of the blast," Han spoke, tapping away at his keyboard as he prepared the voltage program.

Chloe was once again listening to the beeps of her radar as the Secret drew closer and closer.

"Wait for it…"

Within spitting distance.

"Wait for it…"

Just a hairs breadth away.

"Just a few more seconds…"

Literally occupying the same space.

"NOW!"

In an instant, each of them rushed upward towards the surface, the G forces pulling them back into their seats as the water slid around them at incredible speed. Finally free of the darkness, they rushed toward the light, faster and faster. With a massive splash, the four IFOs exploded out of the water at frightening speed.

"Program: High Voltage EXECUTE!" Han yelled for no particular reason as he hit the Enter key with all his might, "100%!"

Everything was silent as they waited, with bated breath, for their plan to succeed or fail.

…

…

…

…

*SPLASH*

With the force of harpoon freshly fired from its launcher, the Secret shot out of the ocean, giving everyone a good look at it for the first time. With its smooth black surface and red lines of energy, one could definitely call it a Secret, but otherwise it looked like some kind of gigantic eel with serrated edges for fins and a rapier for a snout. They couldn't give it anymore thought than that, though, as it began falling back towards the water as soon as it hit its peak.

"Don't let him get away! GRAPPLERS!" Maggie ordered with ferocity.

Without a moment to spare her red and white machine fired a pair of grappling hooks which wrapped around the metal body of the Secret. They were quickly followed by those fired from her fellow's blue and orange and white machines. Circling 'round and 'round in the air, they twisted the cables tight together, making sure it couldn't escape.

"Hey Mr. Devilfish!" Chloe exclaimed, "Do us a favor and destroy this thing already!"

**SENTINELS Flying Assault Carrier Roosevelt**

"Sir," Brooks said, lightly smiling, "The Flintlock is requesting additional weaponry for termination of target. Shall I send out the Heavy Impact Equipment Pack?"

"Despite their unauthorized presence here, it seems that Gen. Bleu is here to help out. I guess we can trust them for now," Tanaka said, unamused at the whole situation, "Affirmative. Send out the Twin Rail Cannons."

"Understood. Hanger Deck," the dark-haired man spoke into his headset, "Load the Heavy Impact Equipment Pack onto the catapult and dock it to the Flintlock."

On the Catapult Deck, a container was loaded into launch position. Seconds later, the EM field picked it up and discharged it at less than standard speed considering their proximity.

**Tokyo Airspace**

The container flew through the air, after being shot out by the colossal red ship, and approached the silver-finned mecha. Several panels detached from the container and it split into two before the halves attached themselves onto the hard-points that were on the area presumed to be the cockpit.

"Oh, a finisher?" Chloe wondered.

Once the cannons were attached, the Flintlock immediately began charging them with EM energy, producing a strange yellow glow as the devices crackled with electricity. Holding out its arm straight ahead in the direction of the target, the enigmatic mech formed a finger gun with its hand which caused a holographic targeting interface to appear. When the sight lined up with the wriggling black and red creature, it brought its thumb down.

*BOOM*

With a cacophonous sound, the projectiles were released at a speed far surpassing the sound barrier. Within milliseconds they covered the distance and pierced the Secret's outer shell and instantly detonated upon impact, annihilating the being from existence entirely.

The Goldilocks members were slightly disheveled with the tension on them released but were otherwise no worse for wear.

"Another one down," Chloe sighing happily and relaxing into her seat.

"Well, I guess we should start arranging that date of ours, eh Maeve?" Maggie said teasingly.

"Huh? O-Oh. Y-yeah, I guess we should. Where will we go, though?" Maeve replied, dreamily.

Looking upon the antics of the little girls' team, a certain pilot was looking on in relaxed joy. _'They're so happy together. She would have been a little older than them.'_

These peaceful times couldn't last forever, however, as yet another familiar pillar of light rose to the skies bringing a colossal aquatic mass with it.

**Quartz Reactor Control Room**

Nakamura couldn't be happier as the many men among the room exchanged handshakes and congratulations at the absolute success of their experiment. Despite the damage caused in taking out the Secret, the Quartz had still fused enough in order to initiate a burst and accomplish their ultimate goal. Now Japan had the power they'd been seeking for years and they knew for a fact that no one could take it away.

From the distance, a yellow-eyed individual watched them with a bright smile on his face.

'_Your power will serve me well in the creation of my new world.'_

**Collective Unconscious**

Naru had just begun to tell her story over tea when Sakuya had suddenly stopped her and stood. Light began to brim in the infinite ceiling above as she looked on in awe.

Clasping her hands together in greeting, Sakuya spoke some words of welcome, though she was not sure to who they were directed.

They did not resume their conversation for several minutes.

**A/N: Yeah, I have no more words for how late I am in posting this. I have nothing to blame but my own lack of certainty on how I wanted to write this. To be honest, I just wanted to get it done at this point which is why the ending might seem a little rushed. Just be assured that I'm not on hiatus, just really slow at writing. When I go on hiatus, I'll let you know.**

**Anyway, more side plots, more weird stuff, and the return of an old friend for prosperity. If I screwed up Sakuya's personality or something, please tell me because I watched the original E7 forever ago and I don't remember her having all that much of a character. Also, I hope I wasn't too subtle about which LFO the Flintlock was based on. I mean, I'm not sure, but I think some people might not get it. In all seriousness, though, I'm not sure if I would have got to explain that otherwise so I'm just taking care of it now.**

**Anyway, my usual offers are open as always, and please take them seriously. Your words of encouragement or criticism mean more to me than anything else. If you have an opinion please express it. Ciao everyone. I'll try not to be so late next time.**


	13. Revelations

**A/N: I cannot give enough thanks to my reviewers for bothering to express their opinions about my story. Whether it be criticism or praise, I write for you guys even more than I do for myself. I couldn't do it without you guys.**

**Special thanks to MEleeSmasher and Omega-Superion1233 for being my constants. You guys are awesome! :D**

**Disclaimer: This series and its characters belong to BONES Animation Studios**

"Speech" / _'Thoughts'_

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Medical Examination Area, Pilot's Recovery Ward)**

Elena let out a relaxed sigh as the medical scanner ran over her body. Hopefully, this was to be her last checkup as all feeling had returned to her leg recently and it was getting pretty boring to be just sitting around. Maybe it was the result of Ao showing up or maybe it was her spying, but things had gotten a lot more interesting lately. Months ago, she wouldn't have even batted an eye at being here, but now it just felt… wrong to stop moving.

"Elena?" a voice called to her from the PA system.

She turned her head to the right to see the president himself looking at her through the window.

"I'm pleased to inform you that you've made a full recovery. Subsequently, Pied Piper will be returning to combat effective immediately," he told her, with his usual smile, "I suspect that you've had enough time recovering."

She sat up on the bed and began pulling the vital readers off of her leg. "You know me too well, Mr. President."

'_It's about time I got back on the stage. My fans have been waiting for me.'_

**UN Center (Capital City Nagoya, Japan)**

Bruno sighed as he continued to wait for the deliberations to end. After their clear breach of treaty in the previous battle, they currently had to endure a formal hearing on the company's behalf. The thing was, though, they couldn't actually attend the hearing. Their position was being explained by one of the company's expert negotiators and they were being held here until judgement was passed on them.

Another thing that made the entire experience less than pleasant was the fact that SENTINELS was also required to attend the hearing. Appropriately, after they'd revealed their flying fortress to the entire world, the UN had some words for them and the American government. That wasn't the uncomfortable part, however. No, that was the fact that the primary crew of that very same battle ship was sitting right across the room.

He sighed again as he surveyed his own team. The only people here happened to be the bridge crew and the pilots. He chuckled lightly as he observed the little girls all sleeping together. Maggie had initially sat down fallen asleep in her chair, then, in a bold move, Maeve had stealthily slid into the older girl's lap and had fallen asleep in her arms. Afterward, Chloe, who had originally been searching for something to eat, witnessed her fellow team members sleeping so intimately and couldn't help but curl up on her sister's own lap. It was an incredibly adorable display that even brightened the faces of the American's in the room, with the exception of perhaps their captain. Speaking of those Americans, one of them was approaching right now.

"You must be Chief Bruno Hans," the man approached him warmly, holding a hand out, "Aldo Brooks. I'm the tactical forecaster for the Roosevelt's IFO squadron. Nice to meet you."

Bruno eyed the man up and down. It was quite unusual for competitors in their field to greet each other so casually, evidenced by the hard stare he was currently receiving from his captain. Then again, it didn't seem as if this man had an ulterior motive either. After all, what did he have to gain by speaking with him?

'_Most curious,' _he thought, taking the man's hand with a genuine smile. "Not much of a squadron is it?" he replied jokingly.

The man let out a light chuckle as he pulled up an unoccupied chair. "No, not really. Not yet, anyway."

"Hey, Brooks!" the captain called out, "Not saying anything you might regret are ya?"

"Wouldn't think of it Capt'n!" he yelled back at the man. Though he didn't look satisfied in the least, he did stop staring at him and focused more intently on rousing his apathetic first officer into some presentable state.

"Sorry about him," he said, turning back to Bruno, "'Ol Saint Nick's usually trying to get a rise out of us. Just ignore him."

The larger man raised an eyebrow. "Saint Nick?"

Aldo let out a chuckle and waved him off. "Don't ask."

Bruno only sighed. "Well, Aldo, why would a man in a position such as yours want to befriend your competitor?"

He held up a hand with a serious expression on his face. "Please, call me Al. It's what everyone who isn't my colleague calls me. Anyway, I don't discriminate between us. We're all in the same business aren't we?"

Of course, there were other reasons for his friendliness towards anyone, but he wasn't going to reveal those. Tanaka would have him locked up and there was a possibility that he wouldn't be able to replace the roses. There was no way he could let that happen.

"Yes, but it's in your best interest to keep to yourself, isn't it? It'd be better for your job."

He shook his head. "Nah, 'ol Saint Nick would treat me the same regardless."

It was obvious that he wasn't going to dissuade this strange man, but then again, he wasn't all that sure he wanted to. Without the conversation to keep him engaged, the entire situation was entirely uninteresting. All he could really do was shrug.

"Must be nice to have children." Now that caught him off guard. The man who called himself Al was giving the little girls' team a warm look.

"If it was up to me they wouldn't be involved in this at all," Bruno countered, letting an air of bitterness creep into his voice.

Al looked at him as if he'd said nothing out of the ordinary. "Of course, but even children are far more preferable to our… setup." He sounded even more bitter than Bruno.

"And what exactly is this setup of yours?" Anything worse than using children had to be in violation of some UN treaty or another.

"Classified, unfortunately." It was that kind of witty response that made a person sound more sad than self-confident.

At that moment, the doors opened and their respective negotiators departed from the main conference room. Gen. Bleu's came over to address him immediately.

"Well, it took some loophole exploitation, but you're off the hook. You can head back as soon as you're ready."

Al took his hand out of his pocket and gave Bruno a handshake. "Well, I hope we meet again someday Mr. Hans. My team looks to be heading off so I better join them. Farewell."

The man started to walk away in order to rejoin his contingent, but before he could reach it, he called out, "Only if you call me Bruno next time!"

Al twisted around and pointed at him as he walked backwards. "I'll remember that!" And with that, he was gone. The next time they would meet would surely be in battle, though whether it was against the enemy or each other he couldn't guess.

Nothing left to do there, he roused the girls and left the building, making sure to slip the data chip Al had given him when he was out of camera view.

**The Zone (The Inner Library)**

"Well, that's certainly interesting," Sakuya said thoughtfully, drinking her tea slowly and deliberately.

Naru had just given her a basic overview of what she'd been through between sips from her own tea cup. Of course, she couldn't include everything or she'd be there forever. She'd also left out crucial details such as the identity of her benefactors, but that had become natural over time, born out of her loyalty and deliberately avoiding explanation regarding them. Besides that, she didn't necessarily trust Sakuya yet.

"So, you've dedicated your life to defending us and in return the Scub decided to try and take you over. How rude of them! Though, I must admit, I'm curious as to how you managed to get Scub cells inside of you in the first place."

Naru looked away, embarrassed that she'd not come up with a plausible explanation. "I-I can't tell you that yet. I don't exactly trust you yet, Sakuya-san."

The violet-haired woman nodded and her expression brightened. "Honorifics… Haven't heard those in a while."

The younger girl looked around and observed the area around them. "Hey, Sakuya-san, what is this place exactly?"

She looked up from her tea to follow the girl's eyes. "Oh this? This is the Scub's central memory, or at least a copy of it."

She looked back at her elder. "A copy?"

She nodded. "Yes. When it's separated from the core, each individual Scub takes a copy of its memory with them in order to help it adapt to the new environment." Instantly a thought popped up in her head, making her giggle. "If it was the real thing, my in-laws would probably be here."

"Your in-laws?"

Sakuya smiled brightly. "The Thurstons. Some very nice people once you get to know them. Adroc, a hero in his own time, got thrown into the core by accident and, at that time, we had very little knowledge of humans so we couldn't send him back. His daughter, Diane, followed him in and decided to stay with him. His son, Renton, fell in love with my sister, so they only visited us once and resolved to spend the rest of their lives outside. They married shortly before I left."

While the strange woman sitting across from her drifted off into memories, Naru began to get an inkling at the back of her mind. _'Could she be…? It would explain a lot. There would still be questions, though, like why she ended up here.' _

"Sakuya-san? Could you describe your sister for me?" Naru asked tentatively.

The woman snapped out of her stupor. "Oh? Sure. She looks a lot like me actually. Pale skin, violet eyes, and soft features. She doesn't have my facial markings, though, and her hair is a lovely shade of blue."

Naru gasped in surprise. "It's Eureka isn't it? Your sister's Eureka!"

The older woman looked mystified. "You know Eureka? But, how is that even possible?"

So, Naru proceeded to recount the events that had occurred during her childhood, from Eureka's arrival to Ao's birth to the Scub Burst and so forth. It was difficult at first seeing as she was so young during the time, but once she started, she found that she couldn't stop until she reached that very first day of her new life. That day that she and Ao had so foolishly stumbled into something far bigger than themselves, something which fate deigned they couldn't extricate themselves from. Her long-standing loyalty got in the way as she debated whether or not she should reveal that which she'd held in for so long. Thankfully for her, she didn't have to make that decision on her own.

"Hello, my sister. It's wonderful to see you again."

The both of them turned their heads to the source of the voice immediately upon hearing that statement, and within their field of vision lay her, the blue-haired woman always accompanying the man who would change the world and his golden-haired lover, Naru's big secret that constantly ate away at her whenever she saw her friend in turmoil, the very same woman who was being searched for by the world's largest military powers.

"Eu-Eu-Eu-EUREKA!" Within seconds Sakuya had pounced on her sister, nearly nocking the two of them over, and locked her in a tight embrace.

"OOF!" Eureka grunted at the sheer physical force behind the hug, "Come now, Sakuya. There's no need to get so excited."

Just as quickly as she'd initiated the hug, she pulled away with her hands on her hips and a pout clearly visible on her face. "No need to get excited? It's been so many years since we've last seen each other! If you were here, why did you never come and visit me? And why do I only find out now that I have a nephew?!"

Eureka chuckled slightly and held up her hands. "Now, you know me. I would have visited ages ago if I'd known you were here. Unfortunately, I've been very preoccupied as of late and I wasn't able to explore the Scub in its full depth. It wasn't until Naru stumbled in here that I was able to feel your presence."

"Wait, we're in The Zone right now?" Naru asked, "I thought we were in the Collective Unconscious?"

The two older women looked at her. "Well, you were in the Collective Unconscious for a while until you came here. You were able to cross over because of the Scub inside of your body, which is both a blessing and a curse."

"Why is that?"

"Because the Collective Unconscious is far more dangerous, but it would have been easier to escape from, which brings me to the other reason I'm here," Eureka replied, turning back to Sakuya, "I know it's selfish of me, but I'm not here for just a visit. I need a favor."

"You sure?" Sakuya questioned, a sly grin adorning her visage, "That'll be two you owe me at this point."

"One and a half," she deadpanned.

"Hmm?"

"It's for her," she said, pointing at Naru.

The violet-haired woman looked at her for a second before making her decision. "Deal. So what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to teach her what it's like to be a Coralian."

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"She's trying to dominate and absorb her cells rather than let them take her over. By helping her to understand how we see the world, she should be able to integrate with the cells and the cells should, in turn, become more accepting of her control."

She placed a hand over her mouth in thought. "Yeah, that could work, I think…"

"Please teach me, Sakuya-san!" Naru pleaded, bowing at the waist, "I have something… someone that I need to get back to, so please teach me quickly!"

The older women looked at each other and shared a knowing smile.

"Chosen One?"

"In a way, yes."

"Alright then," Sakuya stated, clapping her hands together, "It's best we get you started. You can stick around if you'd like, Eureka."

The azure-haired woman shook her head. "No. I have to get back to my work, but I promise I'll come back and visit you now that I know that you're here."

Her sister just snorted. "Shame. If you stuck around a bit longer, you might get to see that useless husband of mine come back for the day. Well, farewell, then. Oh, and I better get to see this nephew of mine some time!"

"I'm sure you will. Goodbye, my sister," she bid them, fading seemingly out of existence.

With her gone, Sakuya turned back to Naru, "Now, young lady, how would you like to learn how to fly?"

**Iwato Island (Entrance, Johansson's Hideout)**

*BEEP*

*CLICK*

With a loud screeching sound, the door swung open. Gazelle had to admit, for an abandoned base, it'd been decently hard to find. Not only was it on the very edge of the island where people rarely travelled, but it was also nestled so cleanly between two cliff faces that you'd probably never find it without a deliberate search. Even if you did however, you'd have to contend with complex electronic locks or foot-thick steel. Georg said this was a former secret Japanese military bunker, but this was a little ridiculous.

"What do ya suppose the old man needed with a fortress like this?" Gazelle wondered aloud, Seems a bit too tight to be just for research."

"Well he was trying to protect himself from something with the same force as a fusion bomb, right? This ought to do it," Pippo replied, somewhat nervous.

"Well, we're never going to find out if we just sit out here waiting, so let's make our way in, shall we? Get out your gun," he said, removing his own from his hip-mounted holster.

The bulky man shook his head. "I don't need one. My fists are enough."

Gazelle simply shrugged before taking a step through the door. Once inside, he found himself on a rather spartan stair case. Keeping an air of caution and awareness of his surroundings he descended down the steps, Pippo trailing close behind. Once they were at the bottom, however, it was clear that they wouldn't have any foreseeable trouble. At their feet lay a large number of inactive and/or broken robots.

"Guardroids. Looks like their batteries went dead after the power failed."

"Well, at least we won't have a big fight," Pippo conceded, adjusting the straps of his excessively large backpack, "This thing is starting to be a nuisance."

Ignoring him, Gazelle continued forward, forcing his companion to follow. As they proceeded further into the facility, they cleared out more and more rooms. They found everything needed to run a fully autonomous facility, although most of it looked as if it hadn't been inhabited in a long time. As they moved from room to room they found various facilities like store rooms, residential rooms, armories, and various other area which had been converted into makeshift labs.

Finally, after so much wandering, they arrived at their primary objective: the main computer room. They stepped inside to find everything dead, much like everything else in the facility. So, in order to counter this, Gazelle reached into the backpack on Pippo's back and pulled out a large, boxy machine and several parts and tools. Within minutes, and with a decent amount of elbow grease, he'd constructed a working generator powered by rotational force produced by human muscle gyration (i.e. A Bicycle).

"Alright, partner," he said cheerily, clapping Pippo's shoulder, "We need power, so peddle away."

"Sometimes, I regret being your strongman," he sighed, mounting the machine. _'Oh well. Least, I'll get a workout.'_

As the larger man began working the generator, Gazelle booted up the computer's OS.

"Alright, let's see what we have here…"

Tapping away at the keyboard, he scrolled through the various files and information. Looking over everything that was available to him, he sighed.

"Well, I'll give him this: the old man's thorough. The computer's been wiped. There's nothing left."

Sensing that his job was finished, Pippo stopped peddling and gave it a rest.

"So, what do we do now, Boss?" he asked, rubbing his forehead with a towel.

He stroked his stubble for a moment in thought. "We might as well grab the hard drive and get out of here. There's nothing else here."

Reaching into the bottom of the terminal, he pulled out a long rectangular object from its inner workings.

"Alright, let's go Boss."

As they made their way out of the facility, something caught his eye. There was a door there that he hadn't noticed before and sticking out of it was what looked like… a rabbit ear?

"Pippo, hold it."

He walked over, kneeled down, and opened the door slightly. With the door open, he was able to pick up the stuffed rabbit.

"What is it, Boss?"

Standing up, he entered the room to find the strangest thing he'd seen so far. There, inside the room, were rows of small beds, only large enough for children. In addition, there were various items spread out all across the floor ranging from toys to story books to more stuffed animals.

"It's… a nursery…"

"Well they did find the kid out here. It makes sense that they'd have a home for him, right?"

He shook his head. "No. No it doesn't. Not only is this set up for a lot more than one kid, but they didn't actually have him all that long before they left, according to the message. This… just shouldn't be here."

After a few more moments of silent contemplation, it became apparent that they weren't going to get any answers from just standing around. With no other priorities in the operation, they turned and left.

**Génération Bleu Headquarters (Recreational District, Special Event Stage)**

Miller sat down backstage after her comeback show. She'd been on hiatus for few weeks and everyone was really excited to hear that she was coming back, so who was she to disappoint her fans? No, she gave them the best show she possibly could have given them in everything from the singing to the instrumentation to the choreography and special effects. Already people were exploding online on how great her show was, making her smile and giving her a warm feeling of satisfaction inside. After all, like any artist, it was the job of the musician to please her fans.

"Hey, Miller," her guitarist called out from across the room, "You coming with us?"

He was the only other person left in the room and it would be a good idea for her to go with him. Maintaining a close, personal relationship with her band was an important asset to her success. However, it was time for business and she couldn't let her personal feelings about this job to get in the way.

"No~" she replied melodically, "I'm going to stick around here a bit longer. You go on ahead."

The man looked a bit disappointed, but, nevertheless, said, "Alright, but don't push yourself."

"Ok~ Thank you."

With the man out the door, she got up and slid out a drawer. Reaching inside, she pulled out a circular device which she placed on the table in the center of the room. Taking out her tablet, she pulled out a cable and linked up to the device. She tapped in her code, causing the device to open up and a holographic image of a man to appear in the central ring of the device.

"Louis?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes, "Wait, you're not Louis. Where's Louis?"

"Warrant Officer Powell has… Well, he's opted out of this duty," The translucent man informed her, "I'll be your new operator. Let's get along."

She raised an eyebrow at the news. _'Louis opted out? That doesn't make any sense. We worked pretty well together and it seemed like he really enjoyed working with me. Why would he quit now?'_

"Nothing bad has happened to Louis, has it?" she inquired, trying her best to keep her suspicions down. She didn't trust this new guy yet.

The man passively shook his head. "No, he's just been given a better position elsewhere. He wanted to wish you his best if that means anything."

She sighed. That wasn't a good sign. She knew she'd never see the man again, but she still hoped he was ok. _'Oh well…'_

"So what's your name?" she asked.

The man looked at her with a look of mild surprise. "It's First Lieutenant Brooks. Pleased to meet you."

A mischievous spark briefly crossed her eye. "No, what's YOUR name?"

Again, surprise crossed the man's face before his lips curved into a grin. "Call me Al, if you would.

She returned his grin. "Alright, Al. Nice to meet you too."

With that, the man began tapping at a keyboard that she couldn't see. "Now, that we've reestablished contact, Command wants me to send you the details of your mission. It's more of the same, really, so you shouldn't have a problem getting into the swing of things."

Flipping through her mission file, she nodded. "Likewise, I'm sending my report and it's pretty much what you already know."

"Now, what about this inside companion of yours? Do I get to meet him?"

She gave him the same warning look that she'd given Louis when he'd asked that question. "No, you don't. I want him to remain out of this."

He gave her a disarming gesture. "I understand, but he's already a huge asset to our mission even if he's not officially a part of the team. May I ask why?"

She shook her head. "It's a personal matter. Don't worry about it."

"It's okay," he said, giving her a sympathetic look, "We're not being monitored. You can tell me, if you want to.

She hit Al with a piercing gaze for a few seconds, as if trying to discern his true intentions. Finding nothing but genuine concern, as far as she could tell anyway, she sighed.

"He's a really good person. He's… Ah, how do I describe this? He's… kind of like an older brother to me, or something more maybe?" she responded, sounding unsure of her answer, "Either way, I don't want him to be in this any deeper than he already is. I don't know if I could forgive myself if he took the fall for any sins that I've committed."

"I understand. There's no reason to push for it, so I won't."

"Thank you, Al."

After a few moments of silence, it became clear that there'd be no more to discuss.

"Well, till next time. I'm signing off," he said, his holographic image disappearing soon after, leaving her alone.

"Goodbye, Al…"

**Iwato Island (Central Market)**

Gazelle was wandering through the marketplace, looking for something to eat. It was midday so the streets were flooded with residents looking for deals on the island's various types of meats and fruits and vegetables that were being offered. His return flight was scheduled for tomorrow so he had plenty of time to grab something for him and Pippo before they had to pack up and head out.

Suddenly, though, he felt someone grab his wrist. "You didn't tell us you were coming back."

He looked up at the person holding him back. "Ah, Mitsuo."

The man nodded, releasing his wrist. "Jirou."

"Ah, I told you not to call me that anymore! It's Gazelle!" he exclaimed irritably, "Anyway, I'm sorry. We got so caught up in our work that it didn't even cross our minds to come and see you or the good doctor."

"That's fine," he replied, leading him into an ally and away from all of the hustle and bustle of the townsfolk, "So, tell me. How's my little girl?"

His expression darkened. "Was the company told you anything?"

"No, they haven't told me all that much. Most of what I get either comes directly from her or from the news. But, I haven't heard anything from her in a while and I'm starting to worry, so please tell me whatever you can."

"Well, I'll give it to you straight," he said, giving the man a sympathetic look, "Mitsuo… She's in a coma."

His eyes widened. "What?!"

"It's not because of the company or the fighting," Gazelle asserted, attempting to assuage the man's suspicions, "There's something wrong with her body."

"Is it the TRA? Is it back?" he asked frantically, grabbing the lankier man's collar, "I need to know, Jirou! Tell me what's happened to my daughter!"

"Mitsuo, calm down!" he hollered, pushing the larger man off, "You'll be no good to anyone of you lose your head now!"

Mitsuo looked at him for a second before taking a couple of deep breaths. "I'm sorry, Jirou. Maybe you'll understand someday. I need to know what's happened to her."

"I know." He placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm not part of the medical staff so I couldn't tell you exactly what's wrong with her, but I heard from some of the doctors that it's some kind of mutation."

"Mutation?"

"It's something to do with Scub Coral being in her body. Apparently it's something she contracted while she was here on the island. It might be for the best that she left after all."

Mitsuo was silent for a moment before he let out a long, concerned sigh. "Thanks for telling me straight, Jirou," he said, sounding exhausted, "If this escalates any farther, I'm going to fly right in and come to see her myself. You tell them to take care of her, Jirou. You tell them that there'll be hell to pay if she dies."

Gazelle gave him a small grin. "Yeah, Mitsuo. I'll tell 'em straight. You can count on me."

"Well, I guess I'll see you again when you come home," Mitsuo wished him goodbye, "When she wakes up, make sure she calls me first thing, alright?"

"Yeah, I'll do that."

The man turned and started to leave when Gazelle suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, Mitsuo can you do something for me?"

He turned half around. "What is it?"

"Can you tell the good doctor that I was here and that Ao's doing just fine?"

He looked down for a moment before nodding. "I was going to go see him anyway. I'll tell him."

"Thanks."

With that, the two shared a brief look of understanding before parting ways and each going back to their business.

**Japanese Self-Defense Headquarters (Special Intelligence Division)**

Nakamura knew something was off when he stepped into the main office to find another occupant inside. It was clearly past curfew and he was sure he didn't have any appointments this late especially considering that they were still solidifying their position with the new Plant Coral. No, this man definitely wasn't supposed to be here.

"You used the data I gave you well," he declared, "Though, I must admit, I wasn't expecting a Scub Burst to occur. You must be smarter than I thought."

"Data?" he questioned, "Are you Firecracker?"

As the man turned around, Nakamura instantly recognized him. He was the youngest of the men who gave him precedence over the operation to summon their new Plant Coral. What was he doing here?

"Firecracker?" he said, sounding amused as he took off his sunglasses, "In part yes, but I represent something much bigger."

Nakamura gasped and fell over as the man's face warped from a young, dark-haired man with clean features to a similarly young man with long, lavender hair and bright, yellow eyes, reminding him somewhat of a cat.

"Let's work together, shall we?" he proposed, holding his hand out to him, "To discover the truth of this world."

Against Nakamura's better judgement, he took the man's hand.

**A/N: Wasn't expecting another chapter so soon, were you? Well, like I said in my updates, I was mostly just cleaning up and tying up loose ends from the last chapter. Not much to say here, just getting to the things I wasn't able to get to last time on account of it already being an 11,000 word chapter. Honestly, though, these interlude chapters are becoming sort of a regular thing anyway.**

**Anyway, my usual offers are still open and if you spot any errors, please point them out. I'll try to get the next one out on time, though considering that it'll probably be another long chapter, it might take a while. Ciao.**


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